I find that coming to Russia always puts me in a variety of uncomfortable situations, like the other day when I stumbled upon what I must assume were young fascists on the hunt for Nazi flags in one of Moscow’s outdoor markets. Trying to get a photograph as the salesman held up a shockingly brand new and illegal Nazi flag in his hands was uncomfortable. My heart was pumping like a rabbit’s. I’ve never seen a Nazi flag in real life, and I wasn’t prepared for the sense of bare faced evil that hit me. I never got the photo I wanted and kicked myself all day. The photo could have said a lot more than this post.
Another uncomfortable situation: just a few days earlier I found an old lady selling books on a street corner. One book caught my eye, and although her table was already 100 feet behind me by the time I grasped the title’s significance, I had to go back and verify what I thought I saw. Sure enough, the title of the book was “Russian Theory of Race” and the etching on the cover of a man’s head being measured by calipers reinforced the circa 1930’s image of a humiliated and angry Germany starting on a path of destruction.
Duma and presidential elections will occur in the coming months. Analysts and common people are enthusiastically engaged in the age old national pastime of trying to guess who will be the next leader. What really matters, however, is not who will be the next ruler of Russia, but how he or she will deal with issues like nationalism, disparities of wealth, property, and economic growth.
Later in my trip to Russia, I ended up meeting a person who made his money raiding companies through his powerful position at the regional prosecutor’s office. Although another uncomfortable situation, it was a great chance to get an insider’s view on how the rule of law gets little respect in Russia and greed rules the day. I can read all the Economist and Financial Times articles on Russia ever published, but uncomfortable conversations like these are where light bulbs start to go off in my head. More on this meeting and insights into what Russia’s next leaders have to worry about in my next post…
Published Date: October 15, 2007