YAKOV KROTOV'S DAILY

RUSSIAN CORRUPTION AND HER WESTERN SOURCES

Russia has the unique experience of Communist construction for 75 years. Ukraine participated in this construction from the beginning, but the initiative was Russian. (I will not bother to refute those Russian who try to put all responsibility on Jewish-Masonic conspiracy.) Westerners don�t have such experience. It is not enough to read "1984" or Gulag to feel what is it: the whole country with enthusiasm lost break off with all traditions. These are too different things: to know that Communism destroys morality and to be upbrought in the Communist world where any morality is subordinate to the building of Communism. Even those who ardently rail Communist immorality cannot feel what it really means to live under Communism.

Before the Revolution of 1917 Westerners often said that it is hard to understand Russia. But it was just Romantic wonder in front of Eastern country on the path of Westernization. After the Communism Russia is no more Eastern or Westernized country. Eastern countries have their norms and traditions (I don�t like them, but I don�t deny their existence.) Russia is different: Russia doesn�t have any norms and traditions. This country every morning awakes with absolutely pure conscience and with no willingness to study.

Attempts to judge it through external forms are deeply misleading. Russia became topsy-turvy world. It is very hard to look on Russia in this way, but this is the only rational and honest way. I know how difficult it is to remember that Russia is still topsy-turvy world, because sometimes even I forget this, although I live here permanently. But Russian life very quickly reminds me where am I. Westerners are mercifully deprived of such collisions with Russian reality.

Not all Westerners, certainly. "Wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures flock together" (Mt. 24 : 28.) Spiritually dead Russia attracts those Westerns who are spiritually dead. It is very easy (and sometimes very profitable) to refuse from moral norms which constitute the core of "Westernity" and enter the kingdom of darkness. "Coca-Cola" of "Fiat" enjoyed business with Communists: governmental guarantees, no legal troubles, high profits.

Clarification for Christians: Communism envenomed Christians as well. The horror of Communism is that it spoils both its adherents and its opponents. Those Christians who became faithful servants of Communists and those who opposed such collaboration, � all of us lacked some basic moral experience, constituting the essence of normal human society, both West and East.

In 1991 people were puzzled with the speed with which Communist empire crashed. Now they are puzzled again because it came out that Communism is still ruling in souls, making people immoral. But in 1990 it would be proper to be less optimistic and in 1999 it is proper to be less pessimistic. Modern Russian corruption is less dangerous than former Communist cleaningness. Yeltsin, Gaidar, Chubais are more engaged in corruption than Brezhnev and Gorbachev � thanks God! Stalin wasn�t corrupted at all! He had no reason to steal anything. So modern Russian corruption is the part of post-Communist, post-traumatical syndrome: old norms have been crushed (Alleluia!), new norms must be constructed anew.

How can Russians react positively? There are no democratic elections in Russia yet. What is even more important, there are no democratic politicians or parties. Our most "pro-Western," "pro-Capitalist" politicians like Gaidar or Yavlinsky are still people with Communist psychology and they don�t understand some basic thinks about Western values. I will not elaborate this point until someone will ask me to. They are Western only in their anti-Communism, but it is not enough to be anti-Communist to stop being Communist.

Russian people are not going to protest or to upraise. This is very rational position. We know that this power can kill anyone who will really oppose it. This knowledge is inherent to those who lived under Communism. The bombing of Chechnya and Dagestan, the actually Fascist regime created in Moscow by mayor Yury Luzhkov, � these are most bright examples of Communism-after-Communism system. This system kills. Communism could kill souls. This system cannot spoil souls, so it kills bodies. Everyone in Moscow knows that at any moment he can be killed � not put in jail, but simply killed without any trial, killed as if by chance. This power doesn�t have any moral regulations.

But why the power which can kill tolerate opposition? This power tolerate opposition in small doses only. Moreover, she tolerates mostly Communist opposition and she still persecute real Democratic opposition. Methods of persecution are less violent than before, but even more effective. Any forms of mass protest are simply unthinkable, because people are sure that the government will use army forces without any hesitation.

Certainly, Communism is dead, but it is unburied and spoils everything around. I do everything for my country to become healthy � first of all, I preach Christ, then freedom and responsibility. I understand pretty well that most money which I earn in Russia comes directly or indirectly from Western tax-payers or Christian benefactors. But I will be glad for the West to give also moral support and more well-addressed and well-controlled money help.

Russian rulers have double standard: at home they speak more about responsibility, in the West they speak more about freedom. Communist or semi-Communist face for Russia, democratic face for export. But the same is true if Western politicians are concerned. In dealing with Russia (and, by the way, with China) they forget about freedom and democracy and begin speaking mostly in technocratic terms, so typical for Communists. Under the pretext of struggling with Communism they support what I should call Crypto-Communism, "practical Communism": verbal democracy without real democratic institutions, without real private property, without real division of power, without real independent court system, without real freedom of speech, without real market economy.

Many Westerners told me that they don�t understand why Russians don�t understand that it is better to live according to the law, that democracy is an easy burden. I think Westerners underestimate the greatness of the historical way of the West: it is not enough "to understand" the benefits of democracy to become democratic country. Civil society is the result of a long way, not purely intellectual. Moreover, once you are in such abyss as Communism it is very hard to get out. Westerners have being too used to their way of living and forgotten the hard price paid for it by their ancestors.

I understand that we Russians must themselves change our political life, that West must not and can not really help. I don�t approve those who see in West the "colonial power," source of all calamities for the Second or Third Worlds. But very often West � i.e. Western high-ranked politicians or international bureaucracy � hinder the move of Russia towards freedom and recovery. Certainly, it is hard to understand Russia. But is it as hard not to help to the those in Russia who represent the worst legacy of Communism? Such support makes Russian totalitarianism stronger and hamper to those in Russia who try to make the country less slavish.

The last example of such support. Director of the Library of Congress James Billington in July of 1999 declared about the new project: 2 000 Russian state clerks will come to USA in order to share the experience of their colleagues. This project (which will cost quite a sum to American tax-payers) is founded on the presumption that trip to U.S.A. can turn a bad guy into a god one. This presumption reminds the conviction of missionaries of the past that Western shoes are enough to change cannibal into Christian. And all, really ALL Russian men-in-power are still former Communists, which is much worse than former Cannibals.

Western powers in XX c. supported most cannibal regimes in order to avoid open conflict. In 1922 they�ve supported Bolsheviks, in 1938 they�ve supported Hitler. Now they support post-Communists (crypto-Comminists). The support of anti-Communist forces, of democratic opposition was always weaker than support of those who tried to exterminate freedom. Much less money have been spent to support Russian dissidents or free-thinkers than to support Russian nomenclature. In Christian affairs the situation was the same: European Christians, from World Council of Churches to Roman Pontiff, always preferred to support the power structures of the Russian Church, to wage "dialogue" with Marxism. Too often theologians said that Communism and Capitalism are equal evils. They are not! Capitalism is "usual," "normal" evil, which can be better than other forms of economic life. Communism is the absolute evil, innormal even it is innormality, destroying everything.

Western politicians support the worst elements in Russian life. I think this is because totalitarianism is inherently sympathetic to any power. Those Western politicians who don�t support Russian totalitarianism, don�t want to look for the democratic beginnings in Russian life. Only democratic pressure from below can change the situation. I criticize Western governments because I believe in the reason and strength of those in the West who elect these governments.

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