Vladimir Putin is Franklin Roosevelt of our time
"From my point of view, Roosevelt has become the embodiment of the supreme power of the American power. It goes about the power that does not alienate the people by means of big money and big bosses i.e. the oligarchy and bureaucracy. Roosevelt personified the power that strived for freedom and justice for all by encouraging the strong and protecting the weak.
We make lots of mistakes but we can do the job
"Roosevelt envisaged a world based on freedom and justice in terms of international relations. Speaking in the fall of 1941, he said that “the world will be become a more miserable and dangerous place to live should it be controlled by the few.” He believed that the international community could live in peace as a union of free nations. In fact, he coined the term “united nations.” Today we share the opinion.
"It would be fair to say that Roosevelt was our military ally in the 20th century. Likewise, Roosevelt is becoming our ideological ally in the 21st century. Speaking of ideology, we do not mean democracy that is used as a backdrop from staging oligarchic or bureaucratic shows; we mean democracy as a form of government in which the supreme power rests with the people. We also refer to international relations that should not be motivated by transnational corporations or aggression. On the contrary, international relations should be firmly grounded in universally recognized norms and the will of the people. It seems to me that the concept may as well be Roosevelt’s vision of the future.
"The future has arrived; we are living in this future. Democracy is not Communism which could be built once and for all. Democracy is a continued process; it goes on a retreat when injustices are made, the law is broken and freedoms are violated. A democratic process gains a victory when the people can achieve justice, when they can use their right to speak out, and their well-being is on the increase.
"Russia is moving slowly by surely in this direction. Not everybody is happy about the course we have taken, and we are making lots of mistakes, no doubt about it. Sometimes we show no consistency in our actions yet I believe that we are up to the job.”
A third and fourth term for Putin
Surkov’s speech at the conference can be interpreted as an official doctrine of the Russian government, a sort of the official policy our society has been expecting to see for a long time. Speaking on a video link right after Surkov, a Harvard professor David King seemed to sum up the policy: “Roosevelt put forth the idea of capitalism with a friendly face. American society responded enthusiastically to that offer.”
The comments by Gleb Pavlovsky, president of the Fund of Effective Politics, intrigued all the participants of the conference. Pavlovsky reminded that Roosevelt had held his office for four terms. Pavlovsky stressed the point that extraordinary factors in both domestic and foreign policies conducted by the U.S. over the period could explain Roosevelt’s four presidencies. These days Russia has very similar issues to tackle in terms of foreign policy, according to Pavlosky. “In short, you can take a look at yesterday’s speech by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. It was a war-cry. He actually called on the administration to prepare for the war against Russia,” said Pavlovsky.
Pavlovsky arrived at the following conclusion: Vladimir Putin has no right to resign at a dangerous time like this. Besides, the majority of Russians do not want him to go anyway. Putin may be reelected to another term of office as president or serve in a different capacity but he should remain this country’s leader. He should be elected president for a third term, and for a fourth term as well. “We won’t let him go even if he tenders his resignation,” added Pavlovsky.
No sooner had the U.S. Ambassador to Russia William F. Burns heard Pavlovsky’s comments than he curled his lip. Then he got up and left the auditorium before the conference was over. He may have rushed to his embassy to write an urgent cablegram to Washington. Urgent attention: We have finally got an answer to the longstanding question i.e. who are you, Mr. Putin? Now we know that Putin is Roosevelt of our time.
Translated by Guerman Grachev
Pravda.ru
