Putin’s Russia is his, and his alone
Vladimir Putin is Russia’s longest-serving ruler since Joseph Stalin. It was no surprise when he won his re-election on March 18, especially since his main rival, Alexei Navalny, was barred from running against him. However, while his victory was a foregone conclusion, the Kremlin was reportedly anxious about the voter turnout.
“For an authoritarian regime in which election results and turnout are pre-ordained, such concerns may seem odd. But even in Russia’s “managed democracy,” appearances still matter, and the Kremlin needed to present believably high levels of support to ensure Putin’s mandate,” writes Alina Polyakova in The Atlantic.
“But even more important for Putin is that this election marked the culmination of his nearly two-decades-long project to control information in Russia and manipulate Russian society. Now, Putin has proven beyond any doubt that the Russia he has built is his and his alone.”
Russia meddled in its own elections by controlling information — or disinformation. Polyakova explains that Putin’s sustained popularity is controlled centrally, through the dissemination of information. “While social-media trolls amplified disinformation narratives aimed at legitimizing the brazenly illegitimate election, Russian television—the real powerhouse of the state’s propaganda machine—pushed hard to get voters to the polls,” Polyakova writes.
“Working in unison to amplify and disseminate the same messages through state-run television, social media, and government officials, the Kremlin reached its desired benchmarks. It also accomplished something else, something perhaps even more important to Putin: despite recent protests against corruption across Russia and brazen instances of voter fraud, no demonstrations took place.”
“Basking in the glow of a pre-ordained “victory,” Putin must be pleased. Not just because he’ll be Russia’s president once again—a prospect he seemed bored with during his nonexistent re-election campaign. Rather, he’s no doubt thrilled because his diligent efforts to control information in Russia have finally blossomed. For Putin, this is the real victory.”
Another scandal for Shinzo Abe
The Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, appears to have more lives than a cat, writes The Economist. “Last year he survived the revelation that a regional branch of the finance ministry had sold a plot of land at an extraordinarily cheap rate to Moritomo Gakuen, an ultra-nationalistic education company run by a friend of his wife, Akie. The allegation—denied by Mr Abe—is that the land, which was intended for a school, was discounted because of the connection. But the scandal has returned to plague Mr Abe again, in a more virulent form.”
The finance minister Taro Aso confirmed a report that his ministry had deliberately misled Japan’s parliament, the Diet. The ministry had removed Ms. Abe’s name from all documents related to the Moritomo Gakuen, and deleted references of Abe being linked to Nippon Kaigi, which is an organisation that follows the same brand of nationalism as Moritomo Gakuen.
“The government is blaming the finance ministry, which in turn is suggesting that responsibility lies with a few of its bureaucrats. One of them has resigned. No evidence has emerged to prove that Mr Abe or Mr Aso ordered either the cut-price sale or the dissembling to parliament.”
Aso, a formed prime minister, has refused to resign although 71% of Japanese people think he should. The government’s approval rating remains at 45%, which has fallen fast. “It does not help that Mr Abe himself pledged to resign last year as both prime minister and an MP if he or his wife were shown to have intervened on Moritomo Gakuen’s behalf.”
“The timing is especially awkward for Mr Abe, who is running for re-election as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party this autumn.”
“Even if the saga does not strip Mr Abe of his cherished aim of becoming Japan’s longest-serving post-war prime minister, it might hinder his controversial plans to amend the clause of the constitution that commits Japan to pacifism. Then again, Mr Abe has that catlike quality.”
A new vision for Kurdish nationalism
“It is time for Kurdish leaders to chart an alternative path toward self-determination,” writes Bilal Wahab in the Washington Post. “This may entail accepting something less than formal statehood. But good governance and genuine democracy should prove ample compensation.”
Wahab writes that the Kurdish region was a model for the Middle East, because its “open-door policy attracted businesses, journalists and academics.” However, while Iraqi Kurds benefited from this, they began to grow less invested in the government in Baghdad. “Now Iraqi Kurds must face reality by reasserting their role as important players in Baghdad. Iraqi Kurdish parties should field their strongest candidates to the Iraqi elections in May and fight tooth and nail for their constitutional rights.”
“If independence is unattainable, however unfair that may be, then Kurds should focus on making their region a beacon for democracy and an economic success story (not least by making Kurdistan a haven for entrepreneurs from all over the country). This goal is just as noble as formal statehood — and it is entirely attainable.”
“Once again we Kurds find ourselves citing the old adage that “we have no friends but the mountains.” Yet we should take this realization as a challenge to forge a just new society within the limits imposed by political reality. In a world devoid of justice, the century-old struggle of Kurdish nationalism needs a new vision,” writes Wahab.