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Novodvorskaya: you shouldn't have illusions about Russia

The renown Russian dissident and historian Valeria Novodvorskaya said in Tallinn on Friday that Estonia should keep a cool head and firm attitude in relations with Russia. "Russia is run by checkists who flout democracy and see compromising as a sign of weakness," Novodvorskaya explained. She also expressed her hope that democratic forces will gain power before Russia runs out of natural resources.

The lecture held in the framework of the Open Estonia Foundation's Russian Voices series focused on the historical philosophy of Russia. Valeria Novodvorskaya said Russia's authoritarian style of governance is the result of different historical traditions, such as slavic collectivism, the Orthodox tradition of total submission to authority, rule of force as the legacy of tribal wars, and a desire for expansion, rooted in the times of the Golden Horde.

According to Novodvorskaya, Russian authorities still follow these traditions, exercising total power, seeing citizens as subjects, and seeking to increase its sphere of influence in the neighboring countries. "Russia does not need these vast territories, they bring us no use," Novodvorskaya said. She underlined that a nation that takes the freedom of others can not be free itself.

Novodvorskaya shared the view of the economist Konstantin Borovoi, who also participated in Friday's discussion, that the current regime is a dead end for Russia. Borovoi said the dependence of Russian economy on politics and oil is ineffective and unsustainable. Borovoi also criticized the absence of independent business and a widespread culture of corruption and bribery in Russia. 

Despite her pessimism about Russia's democratization, Novodvorskaya marked that a possible door to freedom lies in the Constitution. People should force the decision-makers actually implement the artciles of the Constitution, she said.

Summaries of the lecture in Estonian, English and Russian are available here: www.oef.org.ee/venemaa.