Putin: US is 'parasite' on global economy

[Gandalf]

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused Americans Monday of "living like parasites" on the global economy, noting that Russia owns a large amount of the U.S. debt.

"They are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy," Putin told the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi while touring its lakeside summer camp some five hours drive north of Moscow.

"They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar," Putin said at the open-air meeting with admiring young Russians in what looked like early campaigning before parliamentary and presidential polls.

President Barack Obama earlier announced a last-ditch deal to cut about $2.4 trillion from the U.S. deficit over a decade , avoid a crushing debt default and stave off the risk that the nation's AAA credit rating would be downgraded.

The deal initially soothed anxieties and led Russian stocks to jump to three-month highs, but jitters remained over the possibility of a credit downgrade.

"Thank God that they had enough common sense and responsibility to make a balanced decision," Putin added.

But the Russian premier, who has often criticized the United States' foreign exchange policy, pointed out that Russia holds a large amount of U.S. bonds and treasuries.

"If over there (in America) there is a systemic malfunction, this will affect everyone," Putin told the young Russians.

"Countries like Russia and China hold a significant part of their reserves in American securities ... There should be other reserve currencies," he added.

U.S.-Russian ties soured during Putin's 2000-2008 presidency but have warmed significantly since his protégé and successor President Dmitry Medvedev responded to Obama's stated desire for a "reset" in bilateral relations.

Casually dressed in khaki trousers and a striped white shirt, Putin flew by helicopter to the tented camp as part of a string of appearances that are being closely watched in the run-up to the elections.

He did not say whether he plans a return to the Kremlin or will stand aside for Medvedev, his partner in Russia's leadership tandem, to run for a second term.

But young people crowding round Putin, caught up in the campaigning spirit created by huge portraits of Putin hung from trees, were not shy about saying who they wanted as president.

"Russia's next president will be small, bald and look like Putin," 17-year-old Ilya Mzokov joked with reporters. Asked why Medvedev was not paying a visit to the summer camp, he said: "Only serious people come here."

Macho image

Youngsters chanted Putin's name and applauded his remarks as he strolled round the camp, where U.S.-style business seminars, extreme sports and political mudslinging were among the topics on offer.

Putin, whose macho image appeals to many Russians, briefly swung himself up the first half of a climbing wall, filmed by a gaggle of state television cameras.

Nashi, which means "Our People," was created by the Kremlin to counter popular dissent after youth activism helped topple a pro-Moscow government in Ukraine's 2005 Orange revolution.

The group has worked to spread a personality cult around Putin and regularly campaigns against Kremlin critics.

Opinion polls show Putin, still widely viewed as the country's paramount leader, retains near 70 percent approval.

But his United Russia party is trying to reverse a slide in popularity before December parliamentary polls, hoping to use a strong showing there to help Putin in the March 2012 presidential vote.

One of the most interesting things there is his call for another reserve currency. I don't think it'll go anywhere, but it is interesting.

[CJvR]

If it hadn't been for the current Euro crisis, and the built in systemic flaw of the Euro zone, the Dollar might have been in serious trouble. The last time the world shifted currency of choise was in WWI IIRC. Fortunately for the US all the alternatives look just as suspicious, or even more so, at the moment.

[K. A. Pital]

Putin, the Euro-oligarchs and US oligarchs are all parasites and utter fucktards. Pot calling kettle black.

Russia's Pinochet saying the USA is a "parasite" is just irony writing itself. Fuck him.

[MrDakka]

But he's Super Putin, he personally fights terrorists

[K. A. Pital]

But he's Super Putin, he personally fights terrorists

Super Putin actually never personally fought a terrorist. He's a PR junkie, but that's it.

[Tanasinn]

A very effective PR junkie, let's be fair. His propaganda stunts get admiration even here in America. Granted, mostly with the internet nerd set, but still.

[Lord Zentei]

But he's Super Putin, he personally fights terrorists

Super Putin actually never personally fought a terrorist. He's a PR junkie, but that's it.

He's a PR junkie who knows fucking judo. Also, he once rode a shark.



You shouldn't mess with that kind of shit.


But seriously, yes, Putin is an asshole. On that note, click here (link). It's from three years back, but the situation hasn't changed.

President Vladimir Putin has presided over a major "roll-back" of civil rights in Russia, which has seen freedom of expression, assembly and association seriously curtailed, Amnesty International warned yesterday.

In a report ahead of Russia's presidential elections this Sunday the human rights group said the Kremlin was using new laws to persecute non-governmental organisations, forcibly break up opposition demonstrations and wipe out dissent.

The Kremlin had also failed to solve the murder of several prominent journalists -most notably that of Anna Politkovskaya, shot dead outside her Moscow home in October 2006. Prosecutors charged nine people with her murder last October but have given no information about the case since, Amnesty said.

"Human rights defenders, independent civil society organisations, political opponents and ordinary citizens have all been victims of this roll-back on civil and political rights," the report said, adding that this was contrary to international law and Russia's constitution."The space for critical views and for independent media and independent organisations to operate is shrinking ... expressing dissenting views can lead to harassment and may put people at risk of being subjected to human rights violations."

The report was particularly damning over the Kremlin's treatment of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In 2006 a new law came into effect which demands that NGOs submit regular reports about their activities - "an unduly burdensome measure", according to Amnesty. It has forced several NGOS regarded "as a threat to state authority" to close down.

Additionally, the Kremlin has used a law on extremism to target organisations it does not like. The law has been used to close Rainbow House, a Siberian NGO which promoted gay and lesbian rights, and the Russian-Chechnya Society, another NGO that provided information about human rights in Chechnya. Its boss, Stanislav Dmitrievskii, was convicted of extremism after he published an article by Chechen separatist leaders.

The legislation, made in 2002 and updated in 2007, was having "a chilling effect on freedom of expression", Amnesty said. It added: "Amnesty International believes that human rights defenders and human rights organisations, which are funded from abroad, are particularly targeted for harassment and intimidation."

Last week the Kremlin refused a visa to Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch - an unprecedented step. A Human Rights Watch report noted Russia's "growing authoritarianism".

The Kremlin claims it is committed to human rights and democracy. It accuses western governments of using rights as a political weapon to try to thwart Russia's resurgence on the international stage.

EDITED, because I'm a dumbass who pastes the wrong article.

[Shroom Man 777]

Be that as it may, it's going to be interesting once the rest of the world ends up agreeing that the US' shit with the global economy, and all the other crap they've done over the years, makes them out to be not quite so hot shit. Russia's leading the charge with the whole "post-US hegemony multipolar world" thing, and a lot of other nations like China and Brazil and India are receptive to the idea and are already waiting for America to recede even further. We're in for some interesting times.

America: I don't deserve this... to die like this. I was building a house.

Putin: Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.

[mr friendly guy]

Russia and China have been calling for the creation of a new currency to serve as another reserve currency for the past few years.

[K. A. Pital]

Yeah, the reserve currency thing is not new at all. It is, in fact, one of the few things I agree with the Russian government on. The dollar's undisputed reserve currency status should go.

In a report ahead of Russia's presidential elections this Sunday the human rights group said the Kremlin was using new laws to persecute non-governmental organisations, forcibly break up opposition demonstrations and wipe out dissent.

Actually, it doesn't require any new laws. Those put under Yeltsin in 1993 were good enough to break up any oppositionary activities for almost two decades as of now. Being an oppositionary is hard here. And dangerous, too. Violence is unmitigated and death can easily be the price for flashing your face in the wrong type of demonstration. Personal experience, nothing more. More than a few people I know are/were either arrested or actually served jail sentences for oppositionary activities.

The report was particularly damning over the Kremlin's treatment of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). In 2006 a new law came into effect which demands that NGOs submit regular reports about their activities - "an unduly burdensome measure", according to Amnesty. It has forced several NGOS regarded "as a threat to state authority" to close down.

It wasn't burdensome. The power simply cracked down on those it deemed threatening. Not unreasonably so; they were, indeed, a threat to oligarchic dictatorship in Russia.

Additionally, the Kremlin has used a law on extremism to target organisations it does not like. The law has been used to close Rainbow House, a Siberian NGO which promoted gay and lesbian rights, and the Russian-Chechnya Society, another NGO that provided information about human rights in Chechnya. Its boss, Stanislav Dmitrievskii, was convicted of extremism after he published an article by Chechen separatist leaders.

To be fair, mouthpieces of the Russian Taliban aren't exactly in my sympathy list. However, part of the problem is that with undeniably batshit crazy stuff like Sharia Wahhabist media the Kremlin killed off the aforementioned politically active NGOs which had more benigh goals.

Last week the Kremlin refused a visa to Kenneth Roth, the executive director of Human Rights Watch - an unprecedented step. A Human Rights Watch report noted Russia's "growing authoritarianism".

One should not confuse growing power of the oligarchy with growing authoritarianism. Russia was always authoritarian after 1993. However, the inherent weakness of the state compensated authoritarianism. Sort of like Somalian lawlessness compensates for Sharia law craziness. It does not mean that Russia became more authoritarian; the oligarchy simply consolidated its power, giving birth to Russian Pinochets, Putin and Medvedev. And once you give birth to such a bloody offspring, you can never get it back into the cradle.

And now things are going from bad to worse with Prokhorov, a Russian oligarch, embezzler and opressor extraordinaire, willing to enter politics and further his extreme right-wing agenda. As if Medvedev wasn't enough of an oligarch tool, we can now get a proper oligarch dictator. What a fucking joke.

The Kremlin claims it is committed to human rights and democracy.

So does the United States, even as it has supported genocide, dictatorship, wars of agression in Asia in the 70s and itself tortured and killed people in Bagram, Abu Graib, and Mid-East and European black torture sites, as well as Guantanamo. Talking the talk is easy, walking the walk is too hard and nobody cares about that last part.

[Lord Zentei]

Be that as it may, it's going to be interesting once the rest of the world ends up agreeing that the US' shit with the global economy, and all the other crap they've done over the years, makes them out to be not quite so hot shit. Russia's leading the charge with the whole "post-US hegemony multipolar world" thing, and a lot of other nations like China and Brazil and India are receptive to the idea and are already waiting for America to recede even further. We're in for some interesting times.

America: I don't deserve this... to die like this. I was building a house.

Putin: Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.

I wouldn't be cheering Russia and China too much in that regard; their version of a multi-polar world not guaranteed to be an improvement on the American monopole. And it remains to be seen whether they can offer anything more stable in the near future in any case.

To be fair, mouthpieces of the Russian Taliban aren't exactly in my sympathy list. However, part of the problem is that with undeniably batshit crazy stuff like Sharia Wahhabist media the Kremlin killed off the aforementioned politically active NGOs which had more benigh goals.

Mine neither. And aren't there similar organizations going strong in Dagestan and other transcaucasian provinces?

BTW: I didn't write those quotes, the Guardian did.

And now things are going from bad to worse with Prokhorov, a Russian oligarch, embezzler and opressor extraordinaire, willing to enter politics and further his extreme right-wing agenda. As if Medvedev wasn't enough of an oligarch tool, we can now get a proper oligarch dictator. What a fucking joke.

Don't know much about him other than his party's manifesto and that he's the third richest man in Russia.