I just read 2 books about the Yeltsin reign that were illuminating, if not shocking. Both are very critical of Yeltsin and the naivitie of the rush to free enterprise. They point out that E Germany, with only 17 million people and much more developed than the USSR with its 170 million people, cost $400 billion so far--way above the 250 bil estimated, and they still have a 25-30 % unemployment rate. Yeltsin seemed to have one goal, to maintain power at all costs and he abrogated the constitution to maintain power. Perhaps worse, he refused to give power to competent honest ministers. Both books make it clear that immense destruction was committed by enormous ineptitude and downright corruption. E.g., Chrenomyrdin may be worth $5 billion. The USA was complicit to facilitate the transformation to capitalism. The amount of looting, especially by Bereshovsky, is beyond comprehension. He would take control of a number of companies and divert the hard currency to himself.
Lukoil gets a "B". Its manager is reviewed as quite competent but not against using gifts, such as jet planes to maintain Lukoil's control of distrubution and exploratory rights. In addition, the book points cout that the difficulty of drilling in Siberia dramatically increases costs, from $2 per barrel in the Mideast to $14 per barrel for LUKOY. However, LUKOY is a minor player in both books, as it is the most successful example of privitization and becoming a transnational corporation. Iraq, because of its low cost oil, figures prominently in LUKOY(not in book).
Both books pointed a very grim picture of the breakdown of the USSR--the increases in murder, alcoholisim, the breakdown of the medical and educational system, the increase in crime as a way of doing business, and the increase in the death rate. Both books, tho, claim that stabilization is occurring. Neither spent much time on Putin, but point out that he was an appointee of Yeltsin and as Ford to Nixon, gave immunity to Yeltsin and his family. Berezovsky, painted as an enormously brilliant looter of the system was/is close to both Yeltsin and Putin.
I will commit more when Berezovsky is put in jail.
fred |
