Russian Politics: Would you like one sentence or two?

Crime as a deterrent for justice: it seems an interesting if not farcical statement, especially given our affection for prosecuting those who dabble in criminal activity. Were you to rob a bank today and be caught, chances are you would face some measure of justice in the courts. The very idea that you could rob a bank in plain sight of police, the crown attorney and a judge as a means of furthering your own interests/power while making obsolete and impotent your opposition is the stuff that Machiavellian rappers and wannabe gang-bangers dream of. Still even the dullest and daftest of those kinds of dreamers would eventually realize that you simply can’t walk away from justice, unless of course you’re talking about Russian politics.

A few days ago, the Russian courts handed down a guilty verdict for the men who were already serving prison sentences for the related crime. Confusing? Let me break it down then: In 2005 oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev, were found guilty of fraud and tax evasion. No real surprise that fraud and tax evasion occurred (or still does) within the upper echelons of Russian society, the real interesting point is the timing of the previous trial. Khodorkovsky was a political opponent to Putin and directly financed and supported opposition to his government. It sounds unfathomable, but for an individual – and one would suspect an upper class/government/society – with a “Motherland complex” it is brushed off as defending the interests of Russia against those who would weaken it.

Sure, in all likelihood the two men in question likely did commit some measure of white-collar crime, but here they are effectively being found guilty in a second trial simply because their first sentence was due to expire. Oh and interestingly enough, they’re accused by the prosecution of stealing what adds up to ALL of the oil produced by their company Yukos. They have had many in government and the private sector state in their defence that there is no way they could have stolen some $27-30 billion worth of oil, and even logic seems to be a sound member of their defence team in this matter.

Enter the wild wild West, who have accused the Russian government and judiciary of once again purging the good natured will of democracy for the sake of power and tyrannical rule. It’s not the first time that dissidents have been silenced mind you as those who oppose Russia, or specific individuals to be sure (including those who pen words against their elite), tend to find themselves in a paranoid exile or as an assassination headline. Charming. But nonetheless Secretary of State Clinton said the ruling would hurt Russia’s reputation (which was apparently more Winnie the Pooh than Russian Grizzly), and the German foreign minister said it was a step back from democracy, while others said it was a selective application of justice.     

From a political perspective, the very fact that Russia is acknowledging Western concern over the trial by saying the West is “meddling” lends a lot more credibility to the idea of it being a rigged verdict rather than saying something like “the Russian legal system is separate State actor that has no direction from any special interests or government, and only deals with the merits and arguments surrounding each individual case.” Really, does that sound so difficult? Well to a degree it is, since the implication surrounding the idea of an individual being charged a second time for a crime for which his current sentence is due to expire seems incredibly crooked. But attacking the credibility of your opponent is no way to make friends, while at the same time it exposes you to the same kind of critique.

With this in mind countries like Canada, the United States and Great Britain should be ever mindful of their own shortcomings – both domestic and global – and work towards eliminating or at the very least minimize them before they take pot-shots at other nation’s behaviours. For Canada this can range anywhere from our continued ignorance of aboriginal issues, to the case of Omar Khadr, to our policy of blanket support for Israel. The United States is a bit of an easy target with the war in Iraq, its hot and cold stances towards human rights centered on what one presumes to be either a magic 8 ball or their own interests, or their constant finger pointing towards other governments, as well as their mistress in the form of Israel, not to mention their incredibly selective application of the principles of democracy as they continue to support oppressive governments who stunt democratic institutions. Britain has an issue similar to the latter of the US, as well as their role in invading Iraq, bowing to pressures from Libya concerning the release of the Lockerbie bomber, increased xenophobia around their Muslim communities and so forth.

I’m not trying to suggest that Russia is an angel, nor am I going to label them a pariah in the global community. Their government actively contributes to areas of genuine good and cooperation at times – for what intention is almost irrelevant – but should embrace change and transparency in an attempt to soothe the discontent both at home and abroad. Oppression is a marvellous tactic for the unimaginative and insecure, maybe that’s all this whole situation really comes down to. Think of it as high school in that it’s the guys who act with the most bravado and ignorance that are really the most insecure; and yet the girls somehow fall for them and end up unhappy in later life. This time the guy is represented by Russian politics, and the girl is somehow represented by the Russian people. Let’s just hope that the Motherland doesn’t get too upset when her daughter comes home crying and wondering how it could have gone so wrong. While he continues to exert authority and influence over Russian domestic and foreign policies, it is important to realize that until there is a stronger image of justice and mature behaviour from other nations, such criticism of any individual or government will be met with the same wave of the hand. Putin may go the way of the Czar - and what a shame it would be to miss out on Russia’s James Dean - but we too must leave what is our worst in pursuit of higher virtues.    

   

Cote d'Hope




 

What a difference a decade makes in Cote d’Ivore. Didier Drogba has risen from anonymity (unless of course you’re scratching your head) to become an icon for the Ivorian people, economic vitality has returned in the way of foreign investment and trade, and democracy is well on its way. “But Mark,” you say, “aren’t we witnessing something along the lines of civil chaos with the current political turmoil?” Great question hypothetical you; remarkable really given the fact that you’re not even signed up as a follower of this blog (ahem, that means you).

Sure, there are some crucial and grave issues right now given that Laurent Gbagbo (pictured left) has refused to concede the November 28th election to Alassane Ouattara (pictured right), instead setting up his own administrative cabinet. These range from the farcical (Gbagbo tried to order the UN peacekeeping force out of his country, oh him...) to the distressing (hundreds are reported to have been abducted in the night, while the perpetrators were protected by the security services) and the downright deadly (dozens have been killed, with more violence threatened). And so chaos has ensued. This election, which was supposed to have healed wounds endured from the 2002-03 civil war, is instead leaning Ivory Coast towards a national crisis between the ruling and the should-be-ruling.

The recent political history of Gbagbo is incredibly interesting, mirroring a hurricane of political turmoil. Following a failed coup in 1999, in which the leader of the movement fled, Gbagbo ran in a 2000 election. After winning the vote Robert Guei was later deposed following an uprising, which led to Laurent Gbagbo being instated as the President of Cote d’Ivore. Phew. In that decade, there was a considerable amount of xenophobia and racism, violence, civil war and political instability due in part to Gbagbo himself. Now that he is refusing to concede the election, there is much anticipation of renewed polarization of the country along the lines of North (predominately Muslim/former rebel territory) and South (predominately Christian). After all, it was only in 2007 that a power-sharing agreement came into place with a settlement that allowed for a former rebel to act as prime minister and Gbagbo to continue as president, while the recent elections were aimed at moving the process of reconciliation along.

The UN Security Council as well as Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the European Union, African Union and a whole host of other countries have all moved to recognize the winner of the election, Alassane Ouattara, and encourage Gbagbo to step down and allow for a peaceful transition of power. And for the African Union to say “it’s time to go,” then surely the party must be over because they don’t send anyone packing, not even Robert Mugabe and his billion percent inflation in Zimbabwae. What we’re witnessing could well be a “Mugabe” as Gbagbo attempts to assert himself in the hope that a mechanism for his continued presence in power, even power-sharing, can be found to alleviate the crisis. Cheeky if that’s the case.

Back to your initial question regarding the co-existence of democracy and chaos and, from what I can see, there are many reasons to find hope in these prickly events. On the whole, the greater issue remains the state of democracy in Cote d’Ivore and its sustenance regardless of the cost. Despite the chaos, kidnappings, threats of violence from Gbagbo’s youth militia and retribution from the Ouattara-backing rebels, democracy is working. The voices of the people are being heard and fought for by the global community and, regardless of the policies of individual countries and organizations, it is a significant declaration. That the election was won by a Muslim from the North is also extremely significant, and gives way to the kind of hope and national unity that was nurtured in Cote d’Ivore prior to the 1999 coup. Only that type of feel-good sentiment can foster the necessary trust to move democracy forward, disarm and disband all rebel /militia groups, and bring the state towards a greater role in African peace making.

Hopefully the standoff in the not so wild west of Africa can come to a peaceful conclusion, sans Gbagbo in my opinion. Anyone who betrays the sentiment of the people, as well as those fragile elements of democracy and national interest, needs to go. Clearly that was the message in the election, and only some political posturing is preventing its activation.

A quick side note about the rebels and militias: I swear they must shop at a military wholesaler who equips them in a style that can only be called “African chique”: guns that are either way too big for the person carrying them or far too small, bullet belts that always find the most intricate ways of being used as clothing, standard camouflage pants and then shirts that range from camo green to sleeveless plain t-shirts or old soccer jerseys, not to mention the diversity in hats, jewellery, and even the footwear (flip flops optional). Are rebel movements so unprofessional that they can’t even take pride in their appearance or uniformity? Say what you like about the Marxist fighters of old, at least they had it together.

Coming up on Africa's Next Top Rebel: The role of accessories.



 

Sarah Palin's Whacky World

When I think of the word ‘empire’ and all that is associated with it, a lot of different images and concepts come to mind. Being a bit of a romanticist, they generally have to do with things like a strong military, economic power, scientific progress and development, assertive and mature foreign policy. Perhaps the most essential image for empire though, is the leader. When you picture Rome a young Caesar, perhaps even a Marcus Aurelius, comes to mind. Britain would likely have you imagine Queens Victoria and Elizabeth and so on. There is always a certain sense of the right strengths to undertake the task of ruling such vast empires from people of strong character.

Now, the United States has experienced a sort of empire for multiple decades now, being one of two empires that remained since World War II and, until China’s recent rise in power and influence, the sole ‘superpower’ in existence following the collapse of the USSR. Pretend for a moment they are leaderless, without Obama at the helm, and have a bit of an imagine...done? Good. Now whoever you pictured, as the head of state for the world’s main power, replace with Sarah Palin. You just felt your stomach turn didn’t you? And I’ll bet you didn’t have any under-cooked Heff meat.

Sarah Palin, America’s darling of the moment, is really stirring the pot of politics in the US. She is attacking Democrats as well as senior Republican leadership in her bid to galvanize an incredibly passionate grass-roots movement, as well as establish herself as...erm...something.

You see, the issue is that she doesn’t really appear to have a strong enough grasp of the qualities for leading the US, like knowing for instance that it is South Korea, NOT North Korea, who are their allies. But at the same time, she has a gift for the gab and has shown that she genuinely knows how to connect with middle class America; at least those that like to shoot and say folksy things anyways.

The problem is the system in the States. People are either fiery about politics and stick to their base, or are independents and getting tired with the polarization of their political system. So when someone who has genuine appeal comes along and appears to be a straight-shooter – who also drops the gloves with both parties – then they have a great possibility of doing very well. The thing with Mrs. Palin is that what she says doesn’t have to be accurate or responsible, as long as she is passionate and throws in a little twang with her voice, she’s good to go.

That’s called populism and it tends to work in democracies, even in Canada, which is a bit of a shame really. The same reality that allows for kids to lose student council elections because of one spectacle or token promise is that same that sees the capable lose to those who pander to the masses. Ideally, we would be seeking statesmen and women for office, not glorified street performers with the same capacity for grasping political realities as the girls on The Hills. As a matter of fact, I would even like to have a go at Mrs. Palin and think I would be able to field questions with intelligent responses better suited for office than she could – unless of course she decided to know the difference between rhetoric and reality.

Just a thought here, but maybe we should ask more of our elected officials than a resume filled with gun ranges, foreign policy gaffs, knee-jerk right-wing commentary and a bit of folksy sass. George W won campaigns on the basis that he was the guy you’d rather have a beer with. Shouldn’t we instead – and forgive my idealism – ask more of those entrusted with the policy of our nations? I mean, I would think that someone with strong credentials, goals and objectives aimed at the greater good is more important than the guy you’d rather have a beer with. Because if quality time over a beer is all that it comes down to, then a few of me mates are looking strong contenders for Prime Minister’s Office in the next election.

Making it Acid Rain Y'all

A report recently revealed at the UN Climate Change Conference in Mexico has stated Canada is ranked 54th out of 57 nations for their efforts to halt climate change. Now, I know what you’re thinking...”Hey Mark, I love warm weather, what’s so bad about that?” Great question Geoff, and we’ll also tackle the new feature you’ve inspired for this blog at the end of this article.

Climate change doesn’t necessarily mean warm weather, but it does bring a lot of issues for you individually, Canada as a nation, as well as having some harmful global implications. First off, the root causes of climate change include some pretty harmful stuff. Consider things like carbon dioxide and the toxins emitted from a whole range of industries and necessities (farming, oil procurement, transportation, manufacturing, Scotland – though not so much a necessity, more a means of hot air and scabby nipples). Now, I’m not suggesting that we interrupt any of those areas, but there needs to be a real re-think on our approach to them. Think of the lungs as our atmosphere and the processing of society’s needs as cigarettes: The more we smoke (produce using current methods) the worse off our lungs (atmosphere) will become.

I know you’re doubting this because either a) you smoke and don’t see how that should really matter to anyone else and are completely missing the point of this analogy, b) you’re John Paul Bell Jr. and happen to have the lungs of a mythical creature that smoking somehow makes more efficient, or c) there really aren’t a whole lot of alternatives that approach a level of cost-effectiveness and common sense that would make changing our habits viable, or even d) you’re ignorant to the levels of human suffering and death attributed to climate change – in which case how dare you!

Ranking so poorly reflects a level of ignorance that we as Canadians should be ashamed of. We have a vast country whose natural landscape and wildlife is already suffering irreparable damage because of climate change. Furthermore, it’s having a negative impact on our position in global politics. Recently Canada lost its bid to become a member of the UN Security Council to both Germany and Portugal. Germany makes sense considering they are one of the world’s largest economies and contribute to international systems and governance in a relatively responsible manner. But Portugal? Portugal hasn’t done a whole lot and they somehow managed to usurp Canada’s spot. One reason cited was that those members of the UN who are island nations voted in favour of Portugal because Canada has ignored its own climate change initiatives under the Conservative Government and Mr. Harper. Since island nations will certainly feel an immediate impact of climate change, it was an easy choice for them to make a statement against such failures.

From a business perspective, the key to success is innovation. Our failure to adapt and seize the opportunity to become global leaders in the emerging market of green technology innovation and application is a massive detriment that will only weaken our economy in the long term. Think of the jobs that could be created if there was a sustainable push towards renewable energy, emerging green technologies and more efficient green transportation. Instead, we’re likely to be importing technology from foreign countries and will continue to be reliant on commodity export that will eventually become irrelevant in the global marketplace.

Moral of the story gang, is that we need to do better. “But Mark, I’m not politician, so what can I do?” Well, you could write your MP, which is likely a fruitless exercise in idealism. There are lots of things you can do; here are some links that have some neat and cost-saving ideas:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-simple-and-cheap-green-ideas.html#

http://www.greenfootsteps.com/

http://greenlivingideas.com/

Ultimately, it starts with all of us making a conscious effort to do some good. My perspective is that this can best be expressed at the municipal level, because in the provincial and federal arenas there are too many hurdles and interest groups that can get in the way. So, I think a good challenge is for a community like Cambridge to push for the status of being Carbon-Neutral, which basically means balancing low emissions with renewable energy to bring the two levels on par. While some intelligent cities in the world have already achieved this, and some incredibly ambitious and responsible national governments are making it a matter of domestic policy, little has been advanced towards such a goal in Canada. Having said that, if anyone would like to work on a pilot project for Cambridge, let me know and we can get a group going that can address such an issue. Thanks for the read.

Back to Geoff’s contribution to this blog, he will soon be publishing updates from his soon to be cook-book “Cooking with Heff.” Make sure you watch for the “sliders” recipe, it’s pretty delicious!