Carrol, Of course it, the notion that all those with connections are leaders, is too simple. It's also something nobody has argued, logically, morally, empirically. Your version is that somebody, me I guess, argued "ALL A (those with connections) ARE B (leaders), and then proceed to refute "NOT ALL B are ALL A. So much for logic.
Competence is an historical characteristic, based, literally on coincidence, the co-inciding the class need and individual performance. So the "great" "practical" bourgeois functionary, Richard Nixon is revealed to be petty thief whose venality perfectly matches that of his bankrollers, and then years after his resignation is feted as a statesman. If the same people now "running" the countries of Eastern Europe are the same people who presided over the previous collapse of those countries, how can competence be a factor? We're not talking morality. The promises of the ex-Soviet era bureaucrats/present quasi Soc Dems are not qualitatively different than the promises made by any and all bourgeois politicians who represent different moments of the same class interests. There was a very interesting article in the Financial Times several months ago that the only course really open to the current Russian "oligarchs" was the sale of "their" corporate assets to international companies. The oligarchs, the FT reported candidly, had obtained their businesses through fraud, flim-flam, etc and were not really interested or competent to manage these operations. Thus sale at the current height of the oil-induced recovery was the future. Clearly, Putin represents interests opposed to that future, but his opposing interests are no less capitalist, and Putin's power depends on that representation and not his ability to "run the country." Quick tip to businesspeople enroute to Russia: When in Moscow, in-room movies are the safe entertainment choice. Avoid theaters. dms ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carrol Cox" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 1:47 PM Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Ceaucescu and Romanian transition This is too simple. Not _all_ the people with connections and loyalty to > exploiting class interests are also leaders. Some of them prefer to go > and drown in New Guinea for sport or act in their own porn movies or > loll on beaches in private Mediterranean islands. Others prefer to be > CEO of Chase Manhattan or Under Secretary of State for Latin American > Affairs. > > Most of them (unfortunately for us) are pretty damn competent, though > it's because of their connections that they get to exercise that > competence. >
