#18 - JRL 8345 - JRL Home
Moscow Times
August 27, 2004
letter
Signs of Prosperity
In response to "Russia's Image Problem Begins at Home," a comment by Andrew
Kuchins on July 20.
From: Joseph McAnally
Mabank, Texas
Editor,
On reading Andrew Kuchins' "leaving-for-vacation" comment, I was dismayed to see him using the same caliber of analysis that resulted in a war to find weapons of mass destruction where none existed.
No doubt, Kuchins reviews the very latest economic, demographic and political reports, but he misses the man-in-the-street perspective.
Simple things first: he is right that there are still lots of old Soviet-era Ladas on the road and a lot of high-end vehicles. I first noticed that when I spent a bit of time in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Tavda a couple of years ago.
But what amazed me -- before I read Kuchins' comment -- was that now, just two years later, the largest group of vehicles comprised new-generation Ladas, Peugeots, Nissans, Daewoos and others. And, while some of them were top-of-the-line models, most could be classified as "middle-class" vehicles.
Two years ago, I had difficulty finding an ATM. This past month I was pleasantly surprised to find them everywhere -- even in Yekaterinburg's metro stations.
Credit cards were almost useless two years ago, but today I use my cards widely in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yekaterinburg and even Tavda. The streets are blighted with billboards pushing Citibank's credit cards.
I suspect such a proliferation of ATMs and a major U.S. bank's advertising deluge is aimed not at a few "super-rich," but rather at a large and growing middle class. It has always been my impression that the super rich know where to get credit cards and don't need to be catered to with so many ATMs.
Take a look around at construction. Moscow is booming, but the provinces are even more active. In Yekaterinburg I counted 56 cranes involved in major high-rise projects. In tiny Tavda, stores are rapidly losing their Soviet dullness -- new entrances sport tiles, not crumbling concrete; windows offer Western-style displays. Commercial buildings are being renovated with new brick, plaster and paint, the train station has been refurbished, the streets are being repaired and middle-class cars are everywhere.
As for the political mess, Kuchins makes a couple of good points, but seems to judge Russia against some mythical ideal, i.e., the United States.
It is true that Russia's diplomatic corps cannot improve the image of Russia; but it is also true that the United States' diplomatic corps cannot improve the image of America. Yet the presidents of both countries order such tasks!
Press freedom is being curtailed in Russia, just as it is in the United States. At least Russia has an air of honesty and openness. In the United States, "national security" and a host of other legal dodges are used. Fascist-leaning, fear-mongering politicians equate dissent with treason and hurl the ultimate censure at the public: Don't believe the liberal media.
My guess, after spending time with real Russians involved in the universal day-to-day struggle of life, is that they view the political mess in their country much as U.S. citizens do: They answer Ronald Reagan's famous rhetorical question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" with a resounding "yes." And, so long as that is the case, they -- like Americans -- really don't care about a few human rights violations.
It is a shame, but I believe that is the way it is in both countries.