Mark Adomanis Twists and Perverts Facts beyond All Recognition

Back in 2002 Sergei Brin (pictured above), the founder of Google, was interviewed by the Red Herring technology website.  He made some tough comments about Russia. He said Russia was like “Nigeria with snow” and was run by “a bunch of criminal cowboys.” He worried that it was very dangerous to have a country like Russia maintain so much influence in world energy markets.  Brin had seen how Russia operated up close and personal when his company tried to do business there, and he was appalled.

When he compared Russia to Nigeria, Brin was referring to corruption.   In 2002, Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index placed Russia tied for a totally shocking #71 out of 102 nations in the world when ranked for political and economic corruption.  Only 31 countries, in other words, had more corruption than Russia.

Brin actually wasn’t correct, though, in comparing Russia to Nigeria at that time.  In 2002, Nigeria was #101 on the list of 102 countries, nearly at the bottom and much worse than Russia.  The correct African country to have compared Russia to at that time was Zimbabwe, Tanzania or Ivory Coast, all of which were tied with Russia on the TICPI.  Russia was also tied with the likes of lowly Hondoras.

But fast-forward to 2012, and things are quite different.  In fact,  Brin looks rather prescient now.   The 2012 CPI places Russia tied again with Hondoras, this time  for #133 on the list, while Nigeria is right behind at #139, tied with Pakistan. Only one point separates the scores of Nigeria and Russia on the most recent survey.  They are, in terms of corruption, to all intents and purposes identical.

Putin Sings a Siren Song

If Vladimir Putin is our ally in the struggle against Islamic extremism, then why in the days following the brutal, cowardly attack on the Boston Marathon is his government praising and cooperating with Hezbollah, one of the world’s leading Islamic terror groups?

The answer is pretty clear:  Putin isn’t our ally.  To the contrary, he concealed vital information about the Boston bombers from U.S. law enforcement before the attack, and afterwards he has been consistently obstructing the investigation.

And the reason for that is clear:  Putin wants the West to be victimized by Islamic terror, He wants the Middle East in turmoil, because turmoil promotes rising oil prices, and that lines Putin’s pockets.  What’s more, Putin spent his entire life in the KGB learning how to hate and destroy the USA, and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

What did Vladimir Putin Know, and When did he Know it?

In September 1999, Vladimir Putin was catching hell for horrific human rights abuses in Chechnya.  Then two apartment buildings were blown up in Moscow, and Putin blamed it on the Chechen separatists, who denied involvement.  Opposition to Putin’s policies vanished, and he was able to launch a massive invasion of Chechnya.  When Alexander Litvinenko began publicizing accusations that Putin was complicit in the Moscow apartment bombings (alleging that FBS operatives had been caught red-handed trying to bomb a third building in Ryazan), Litvinenko was murdered with polonium poison.

Fast forward to April 2013.  Bombs go off during the Boston Marathon and a pair of Chechen terrorists turn out to be responsible. This occurs just as Putin was catching hell for supporting the homicidal dictator of Syria, and seeking to justify his support by claiming that Chechen terrorists were among the rebels fighting to end the dictatorship.  Just as in 1999, Putin attempts to use the bombing to justify his policy, claiming it proves he was right about the Chechens all along.

Then came a blockbuster revelation:  Putin had a wiretap on the Chechen terrorists who bombed the Marathon, and never told U.S. law enforcement about it.  What’s more, Putin began stonewalling the investigation into the bombing, failing to provide lots of other information wanted by U.S. authorities.

Is it possible that Putin knew the Chechens were going to launch an attack on the U.S., and let them do so in order to have convenient justification for his policies in Syria, as well as his crackdown in the Caucasus region?

Russia in a Nutshell: Burned alive in a Hospital

“Russia has a poor fire safety record, with about 12,000 deaths reported in 2012. By comparison, the U.S., with a population double Russia’s, recorded around 3,000 fire deaths in 2011.”

In nominal terms, you are four times more likely to be killed by fire in Russia than in the United States. In per capita terms, it is eight times more likely.

The world saw the horrific consequences of this terrifying Russian reality last week, when a psychiatric hospital in the town of Ramensky, north of Moscow, caught fire. 36 patients and two staff were killed, only three occupants escaped, and 29 were burned alive.

It took fire trucks more than one hour to respond to the scene.

This is barbarism, unchained, as only Russia can achieve.

For more than a decade now, Vladimir Putin has been increasing military spending and cold-war rhetoric in a pathological manner, and hoarding Russia’s currency reserves, instead of investing in making life better for Russian people.  This is not surprising, since Putin is a proud KGB spy and he is doing nothing more than copying the policies of his forefathers in the USSR.

Meanwhile, the craven denizens of Russia hand Putin unchecked power and allow him to act as he pleases, inviting more outrageous apocalypses like the one in Ramensky for themselves and their children to endure.

Recession in Russia! You Read it Here First!

One month ago, we reported that Russia would likely enter a recession this year.  It had experienced two consecutive years and two consecutive quarters of declining economic growth, and even state-sponsored media conceded that the only reason it was not already in a recession was the price of oil.

This week the price of Brent crude dropped below $100 per barrel, and not one but two prominent Russian figures announced that Russia has entered recession.

First there was Ksenia Yudaeva, Putin’s representative to the G-20.  She stated: “Frankly speaking, Russia probably already is in recession.”

Then came oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the New Jersey Nets.  He stated: “The economy is in recession.”

Moreover, Russia Today admits that global investor interest in Russia has plummeted by a shocking two-thirds in the last month.

You read it here first. Way out in front of the curve, we told you long ago that Russia’s economy had lost its momentum and was headed for the big flush.

But that’s only half the story.  We also told you that Russia’s inflation rate is out of control, which should not be happening as the economy contracts and is a sign of the paralyzing ultimate economic disaster known as stagflation, the illness that destroyed the USSR.

Putin has led his nation once again to the brink of national collapse.

Is Vladimir Putin in Trouble?

In polling data it published on April 11, 2013, the Levada Center asked Russians whether they’d like to see Vladimir Putin continue in power in 2018 when his third term expires, or be replaced.

Only 22% of Russian respondents said they’d like to see Putin retain power.  47% said they’d like to see somebody other than Putin or Dmitri Medvedev take power, while 8% said they’d like to see power returned to Medvedev’s hands. In other words, a clear majority — 55% — of Russians do not want Putin to seize a fourth term as president.

This is the third time in the past year that Levada polling has shown a majority of Russians rejecting a fourth term for Putin.  In August 2012 57% opposed this outcome, and in December 2012 51% did so.  One year ago, in March 2012, 49% were opposed to a fourth term for Putin.

Another result was still more interesting. For the first time since Levada began asking the question (in March 2004), less than a majority of Russians said it was a good thing for the country that Putin had virtually unlimited power. The first time the question was asked 68% of Russians said it was a good thing; in March 2013, only 49% said so.

Dissatisfaction with Putin is hardly surprising given that economic growth is plummeting while inflation is soaring, the horrific one-two punch that economists refer to as “stagflation.”  It is also known as the disease that killed the USSR.

But this hardly means that Putin will actually be replaced.  A Levada poll from February 2013 shows that a whopping 65% of Russians think Putin has brought the country more good than bad.  Another February 2013 Levada survey shows that Putin would get three times more votes than any named rival if an election were held today, and shows his job approval rating at a heady 65%.  It has never been less than 60% at any time in the past two years.  As we reported recently, Russians blame their bureaucracy and their legislature for their troubles, not Putin.

Russians could have turned Putin out of office in 2012, of course, but instead they reelected him in a landslide, not even calling for a second round to select between the two best candidates. They instinctively seem to know it’s not a good idea for Putin to remain in power forever, especially not with unlimited power, but they appear unwilling to actually place power in the hands of any other specific person.

Inflation Ravages Putin’s Russia

Above you see a chart (click it to see full size) depicting Russia’s inflation rate between May 2011 and April 2013. The chart shows that over the last year Russia’s inflation rate has doubled, from 3.6% to 7%. The rate of 3.6% is the lowest Russian consumer inflation during the entire period under review, two years.

Above is the same information for the United States. As you can see, the highest consumer price inflation rate experienced by the U.S. during this period was essentially the same as the lowest rate Russia ever achieved. Currently, the U.S. inflation rate is less than one third the rate Russians are forced to endure.

In the U.S., 3% inflation is something to panic about. It is viewed as an economic disaster.  In Russia, 3% inflation is something to be proud of, because that’s what kind of incredible mess the Russian economy really is.  Look at the scales on the left margin of the two charts. The scale needed to measure Russian inflation during this period is more than double the size of that needed to measure inflation in the U.S.

According to Russian pundit Leonid Bershidsky, economic growth in Russia this year is less than half what it was last year and less than one-third what Putin has publicly proclaimed is necessary for the country. Things are so bad that many Russian economists are beginning to argue that Russia should start spending its reserves in order to stave off economic disaster.  But dumping piles of cash from the reserves into the economy would be like pouring gasoline on a fire. It could cause inflation to spiral out of control.

Oh and, by the way, the wicked one-two punch of failing economic growth and rising inflation is known as stagflation. You know, the thing perfected in Russia by Leonid Brezhnev and which led to the fall of the USSR. Those who cannot remember history . . .

More Horrifyingly Bad Economic News for Putin’s Russia

“A 20-year-old man in Russia has just a 63 percent chance of reaching the age of 60, as compared to a 90 percent chance in the EU.”

“The blue-glass skyscrapers of Moscow City — fragments of Russia’s boom-time dream — are visible from the Kremlin walls, within which there was once hope that those towers could supplant the West’s financial centers. When the sun sets behind them, you can see that many of the offices lie empty. In fact, the real hubs for Russian banking are in other countries.”

“Russia’s long stretch of oil-fueled economic growth could be coming to an end. The greater danger, though, might be President Vladimir Putin’s plans to get it going again.”

“Russia’s labor market is ‘practically illegitimate’, 38 million work in its shadow economy.”

How is the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin responding to this tidal wave of bad economic news? He is liquidating democracy as fast as he can, so he can’t be held accountable.

Russians HEART Zhirinovsky

“То, что женщина — определенный момент есть, конечно, потому что сложно отвечать за деньги огромной страны, здесь больше нужны мужские мозги, даже они не выдерживают”, — сказал Жириновский.

“Regarding women, well, there’s a time and a place for everything of course, but it’s rather dicey to put the country’s entire money supply in the hands of a woman, for something like that you’d really like to the brains of a man,” said Zhirinovsky.

In the most recent parliamentary election in Russia, which occurred in December 2011, the Liberal Democratic Party led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky won the votes of more than 7.5 million Russian citizens.  This amounted to nearly 12% of the almost 65 million votes cast and handed Zhirinovsky control over 56 of the 450 votes to be had in the Russian parliament, called the Duma (which means “thinking place”).

Zhirinovsky collected three times more votes than did Grigori Yavlinsky and his Yabloko Party, which did not earn one single seat the new Duma.

Zhirinovsky’s vote total increased gigantically from the prior election in 2007. Four years earlier, Zhirinovsky had collected only 5.6 million votes and held control over  just 40 seats in the Duma.  His vote tally increased by a whopping 35% and his delegation expanded by a stunning 40% over the next four years.

Zhirinovsky is a madman.  He hates women, and there are only two of them in his party’s entire Duma delegation. As his brazen comments quoted above make clear, his hatred of women trumps his love for Vladimir Putin, and he was prepared to attack Putin for daring to name a woman for the job of Central Bank head. He believes a woman is biologically unqualified to hold such a position.

He routinely makes public statements that clearly show he is completely out of his mind. He once famously demanded that the USA return Alaska to Russia, and he spews out venom designed to provoke international incidents at every opportunity.

So naturally he’s a beloved leader of millions of Russians, for whom he speaks and by whom he is admired.  Those who aren’t attracted by a party run by a proud KGB spy or the Communist Party flock to Zhirinovsky in droves, handing him vast power.

Vladimir Putin is a Goddamned Liar!

Two pairs of articles give profound insights into the state of the new cold war between the United States and Russia.

First, Putin launched a wave of hundreds of Stalin-like raids on human rights organizations including such internationally respected outlets as Amnesty International, Transparency International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the leading Russian outlet Memorial.  When questioned, Putin claimed that these were “routine events.” It was an absolutely brazen neo-Soviet lie.  In fact, records clearly show that Putin’s actions against the NGOs are totally unprecedented in Russian history.  Just as in Soviet times, the Russian government simply doesn’t care about facts and has no respect whatsoever for the people of Russia, much less for other countries.

Then, even as a major article in the Wall Street Journal exposed the “axis of evil” being fomented by Russia across the globe, a shocking story from Reuters reported that there are members of the Obama administration who argue that it would be better to antagonize members of the U.S. Congress than to antagonize Putin. For that reason they want to serve Putin’s interests rather than follow the Magnitsky law and ban Russian human rights offenders from U.S. soil. There’s only one word for such behavior, and that word is treachery.  In Russia, they’d surely jail such venal traitors.

If you want to get  really deep insight into the way Russians see the world, check out a truly crazy diatribe by Vladislav Inozemtsev, the director of the Moscow-based Center for Post-Industrial Studies, in the Moscow Times.   Inozemtsev calls for the U.S. to give Russia “more respect” and to “treat it as an equal.”  His hypocrisy is breathtaking, because Russia certainly doesn’t treat countries like Ukraine and Georgia as equals, and he doesn’t call for it to do so. While claiming that Russia should be treated as an equal, he says 100% of the burden for changing the relationship lies on America’s shoulders, a pretty weird definition of equality to say the least. And he ignores the fact that America’s population is double that of Russia and its economy is ten times larger, making it difficult to see exactly how the two countries could ever be considered “equals.” An avalanche of reader comments expose Inozemtsev’s crazy neo-Soviet propaganda for what it is.

Or check out a recent piece in the MT by Georgy Bovt, showing how Russians delude themselves into imagining that China is treating them like an equal when in fact the Chinese see Russia as nothing but a potential vassal state, a lackey, a barrel of oil into which China can dip its pump.

We are right back where we were at the height of the first cold war. Russia is run by the KGB, and it is descending into a truly bizarre world of self-deception and lies,cut off from the truth after wiping out real journalism and real opposition politics.  Russia fumes with anti-American hatred and spends money it does not have on arms racing and ideological confrontation. The USSR was driven to collapse by these crazed policies. Russia is asking to meet the same fate.