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We have a fair number of Russians and Russophiles in here, so I thought I’d ask for opinions about Alexei Navalny.
He’s the subject of a documentary (one that could win an Oscar next month: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navalny_(film)) which I watched recently, and I followed it up with a video mentioned near the end of the doc that his team made about Putin’s lucrative circle of corruption. As a skeptic, I know not to believe everything I see, hear, and read, but I was wondering if there is a deeper counter-argument to Navalny’s narrative and positions than, “He’s a tool of western governments/the CIA to besmirch Putin and Russia.”
In the documentary about Navalny (on HBOMax), he’s depicted as a jovial but committed critic of Putin, and one who has so annoyed the Russian leader, that Putin won’t even deign to mention Navalny’s name on TV, but refers to him only in the form of “that person.” Navalny is questioned briefly about his past appearances with questionable nationalist/racist political movements and he’s unapologetic, explaining that he’s trying to build a coalition that can challenge the establishment and can’t afford the luxury of turning anyone away (which is similar to how some supporters of Trump’s 2016 campaign explained his flirtations with Alex Jones and some less savory radio personalities). I don’t put much stock in official Russian accusations that its enemies are racists or Nazis, anyway, as I see those as arguments made in bad faith with the sole intention of eroding opposition enthusiasm and not as issues that Putin’s racially diverse and sensitive supporters actually care about. Its arguments-as-soldiers on top of pot-calling-kettle.
The documentary then depicts the aftermath of Navalny’s poisoning with a nerve agent, which hits him while in-flight across Russia, the fatal consequences of which are only averted by an emergency landing and, after some political jostling, his eventual release from a Russian hospital to seek care in Europe. While in recovery, Navalny teams up with a Bulgarian hacker to reveal the identities of the assassins, and they even trick one into discussing the details of the plot over the phone. It’s a bombshell scene, if it can be believed. (The filmmakers contend that the scientist who was tricked by Navalny’s impersonation of a post-mission auditor disappeared shortly after their conversation was made public.)
When Navalny returns to Russia, he is detained at the airport, and has been in prison ever since. But a couple of days after his arrest, his team drops a two-hour YouTube video titled “Putin's palace. The story of the world's biggest bribe” (https://youtube.com/watch?v=T_tFSWZXKN0&authuser=2), which details the formation of Putin's network of graft and embezzlement and how it has poured billions in state funds into the construction of a lavish secluded palace, in addition to providing jobs and housing for Putin’s mistresses and their families. Again, maybe it’s all false, but it’s densely reported and has a sheen of credibility.
So am I a fool falling for wholly concocted neoliberal propaganda besmirching the world’s only remaining champion of traditional values? What’s the direct counterargument to Navalny’s claims about Putin’s corruption or attempt to assassinate a pesky political opponent? I’m certain that Navalny is flawed, as are we all, and I am loath to trust any politician. But I like Navalny – he comes off as a “happy warrior” with a worthy cause – and he seems honest. Without resorting to ad hominem non sequiturs, tell me why I shouldn’t take him seriously? Even if he is a Nazi, is he wrong about Putin?
Ilforte's characterisation is a bit too rosy, in my opinion.
Russian politics is like professional wrestling. Whatever goes on in public, it's all kayfabe. When you get into the ring, you already know when to take a dive and how. There's a real layer underneath it, the layer of money and connections, but it has nothing to do with your track record in the ring. You go to the Old Square and talk with whoever the local equivalent of McMahon is in the presidential administration.
Navalny really, really wants to win, and this means two things:
he has been an unabashed populist (I think isolation in prison might force him to come up with a more stable program), trying to ride every wave
he rejects the whole idea of kayfabe, because according to the rules of the league, fighters from the vaguely defined liberal corner always lose.
This means the real reason one should support Navalny is to make everyone in Russian politics engage in wrestling that looks like gay sex, everything else is negotiable.
The problem with making this claim explicit is that too many Russians belong to the reverse cargo cult: they think politics work like that everywhere, and anyone who pretends otherwise is either a naive idiot or another agent of the deep state used to con naive idiots.
(I really need to stop trying to write longer replies on my phone. I already want to edit this heavily)
My personal objections to Navalny have all been adequately expressed by Lenin himself in his "advice of an onlooker" 105 years ago: don't start what you don't know how to finish. If you collect underpants, you'd better know how to make a profit. If you ask people to take to the streets, you'd better know how this ends up with you holding the nuclear briefcase and act on this knowledge. Navalny didn't.
I assume there's a missing "don't"?
Otherwise, this advice is badass, but insane.
Thanks, fixed it
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