Russia and former Soviet republics: The going gets tough
Former Georgian President Shevarnadze after his unceremonious ouster
(photo: AP)
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Russia has had a difficult year. And the other former constituent republics of the Soviet Union fared even worse. Attacks by Chechen separatists, branded terrorists, rocked Russian cities in 2003
But the popularity ratings of Russian President Vladimir Putin soared as the Russian economy bounced back in 2003 with an impressive six per cent growth rate; persistently high international oil and gas prices fuelled Russia's economic growth throughout the year.
But Russia's outstanding economic performance was not reflected in the social and political arenas. Income differentials continued to grow, with the numbers of people living below the poverty line growing daily. The widening gap between rich and poor generated much political strife, and tensions between the haves and the have-nots are approaching boiling point. Businessmen are widely mistrusted and a cynical distrust of the legitimacy of private business is a deeply-rooted aspect of contemporary Russian culture, perhaps a lingering legacy of Soviet perspectives. The have-nots are yearning for the certainties of the former Soviet system and the haves are siphoning off profits and laundering their ill-gotten gains overseas.
Putin cleverly exploited these divisions in Russian society. One symbol of these growing tensions is the widely publicised clashes of interest between Putin and Russia's richest man Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the head of the Yukos oil company, one of the country's largest business concerns. Criminal investigations into Yukos' dealings led to Khodorkovsky imprisonment on fraud and corruption charges in October. And it was announced in December that Khodorkovsky would be jailed for another three months -- no bail. Putin's critics say that Khodorkovsky's trial and incarceration were politically motivated.
The quest for national self-determination in Chechnya posed the most serious problems for Putin. The suicide bombing at the Krylya rock festival was one of several bloody incidents that left dozens of people dead and injured.
The Chechen people refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Russian-installed puppet government in the Chechen capital Grozny. The former head of the Russian Parliament Ruslan Hasbulatov warned against the "merciless campaign aimed at extermination of the Chechen nation". But an unrepentant Putin stepped up his ruthless campaign to break the backs of the Chechen separatists. Putin again emphasised the "organic link" between Chechen separatists and Al- Qa'eda.
Political turmoil fuelled by a reluctance to fully embrace electoral politics has engulfed many of Russia's neighbours. Belarus President Alexander Lukachenko, no fan of free and fair elections, continued to tighten his political stranglehold on the impoverished country. Russia's populous southern neighbour Ukraine also suffered political instability as Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma tightened his grip on power.
Ukrainian opposition leaders called for sweeping constitutional changes and the instituting of a parliamentary democracy. Kuchma, too, said he wanted to see changes, but on his own terms.
Heydar Aliyev, president of independent Azerbaijan since the break-up of the Soviet Union, died in a clinic in Cleaveland, US, in December, and was laid to rest in Baku, the Azeri capital.
In neighbouring Georgia, the rule of Eduard Shevardnadze, installed as president in 1992, came to an abrupt end in November following mass demonstrations over alleged ballot rigging in parliamentary elections.
Reviewed by Gamal Nkrumah
