Moscow News
www.MN.Ru
August 31-September 6, 2005
The End of Liberalism?
By Andrei Belikov
EDITOR'S COLUMN
An opinion poll conducted by VTsIOM in mid-August showed that Russians do not regard the events of August 1991 as a triumph of democracy. Only 13% of the respondents said that if they could return to those days, they would give their backing to Boris Yeltsin. 18% said they would support the GKChP while 69% would stay away from the fight. Only 11% of the respondents believe those August events to have represented the triumph of democracy, which put an end to the ruling establishment of the CPSU. Three times as many respondents were certain that August 1991 was a tragedy that has had fatal consequences for the country.
It is perfectly clear that every passing year sees a decrease in the number of those who support such Russian liberals as Gaidar and Chubais. Yet there is no doubt that if the poll concerned the need for the nation to observe fundamental democratic rights and liberties, then the majority of Russians would declare for these freedoms. While the citizenry are unlikely to be against political liberalism, they definitely do not accept a liberal market economy and spiritual profanation of a pseudo-free society, which nullifies the country's traditions, history, and culture.
Under these circumstances, victory in the next elections will be won by those leaders who succeed in combining political liberalism with a socially oriented economy and moderate nationalism in the sphere of culture and spirit. One cannot help agreeing with Russia's most famous prisoner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who recently prophesied a communist victory in the next elections.
In any case, it is already clear now that a pro-Western development path - based as it is on cupidity and aggressive self-expression - has proved to be unacceptable to the majority of Russians. Such popular attitudes are also observed in China, and considering that the United States and its allies have antagonized the entire Islamic world, one can presume that the geopolitical situation on our planet could make a sharp turn in the near future. The West, which won the Cold War some 15 years ago, has squandered all the dividends it gained from that victory.