(Press-News.org) EAST LANSING, Mich. — The brutally repressive Soviet Union Vladimir Shlapentokh left behind 33 years ago may have opened its borders to the world, but today's Russia has become wracked with greed, corruption and mass emigration that threaten the nation's future.
So argues Shlapentokh, a Michigan State University sociologist, in the academic journal Communist and Post-Communist Studies.
"As Russia's plight shows, the assumption that openness and liberalization automatically promote democracy and guarantee it will function turned out to be wrong," Shlapentokh said. "It is misleading to glorify the 'open society' ideal exemplified in the views of many Western thinkers."
Shlapentokh came to the United States in 1979, when he was 52, and immediately joined the faculty at MSU. In the Soviet Union he had been a high-ranking sociology researcher, conducting the first nationwide public opinion surveys. But Shlapentokh said he was discriminated against and not allowed to publish his research because he was Jewish and supported democratic ideals.
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Shlapentokh said the Russia of today is an oil-rich country controlled by corrupt politicians, mafias and wealthy elitists who buy foreign goods and keep their wealth in foreign banks; send their children to Western schools and universities; take vacations abroad; and even seek health care in the Europe and the United States.
"This desire to secure their wealth abroad stems from the uncertainly that comes with living in a politically unstable country," Shlapentokh said. "Openness has had a major impact on Russian society by diminishing the loyalty and respect Russians have toward their country."
Vladimir Putin exemplifies this focus on personal gain. Shlapentokh said the Russian president and his friends have gone so far as to merge Russian companies with foreign corporations for the promise of owning Western stocks. Further, while Putin indulges his personal whims – such as organizing expensive international sporting events – the country suffers from low-quality medical services, inept education, bad housing and many other problems, the paper argues.
There is no doubt, Shlapentokh said, that openness has benefited ordinary Russians, particularly the educated class. He said Russians now have access to consumer goods produced abroad – a long-held dream within the country – as well as foreign media and movies that once were banned. Russians can also travel abroad easily – a privilege previously extended to a small minority cleared by the KGB.
"Openness helps keep alive the idea of democratic ideals, since the experience of the Western countries is well known in Russia," Shlapentokh said. "But at the same time openness has brought some unpredicted and undesirable consequences."
Ironically, open borders can help a regime stifle democracy, he said. Putin cracks down on any opposition threatening his administration, with the Kremlin routinely suggesting protestors leave or face harassment or even imprisonment, he said.
Nearly 1.3 million citizens have left Russia during the past three years.
Ultimately, the many problems facing Russia are collectively eroding the cultural beliefs and institutions that make a country united and strong, Shlapentokh said.
"This has put Russia in a weak position for resisting terrorism or potential attacks from her neighbors," he said. "In short, Russia is not in a position to be a major global force despite its nuclear arsenal, the size of the country, its natural resources and its position on the U.N. Security Council."
Shlapentokh believes Russia's powerful elitists need to devote themselves to democratic ideals such as freedom and not be absorbed by personal wealth.
"Russia needs to follow John F. Kennedy's advice," he said. "Ask not for what your country can do for you – as what you can do for your country."
INFORMATION:
Russia fails to grasp democratic ideals
2012-09-12
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Himalayan glaciers retreating at accelerated rate in some regions but not others
2012-09-12
WASHINGTON -- Glaciers in the eastern and central regions of the Himalayas appear to be retreating at accelerating rates, similar to those in other areas of the world, while glaciers in the western Himalayas are more stable and could be growing, says a new report from the National Research Council.
The report examines how changes to glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, which covers eight countries across Asia, could affect the area's river systems, water supplies, and the South Asian population. The mountains in the region form the headwaters of several major ...
Math anxiety causes trouble for students as early as first grade
2012-09-12
Many high-achieving students experience math anxiety at a young age — a problem that can follow them throughout their lives, new research at the University of Chicago shows.
In a study of first- and second-graders, Sian Beilock, professor in psychology, found that students report worry and fear about doing math as early as first grade. Most surprisingly math anxiety harmed the highest-achieving students, who typically have the most working memory, Beilock and her colleagues found.
"You can think of working memory as a kind of 'mental scratchpad' that allows us to 'work' ...
Stress hormones: Good or bad for posttraumatic stress disorder risk?
2012-09-12
Philadelphia, PA, September 12, 2012 – Glucocorticoids, a group of hormones that includes cortisol, are considered stress hormones because their levels increase following stress. When their relationship to stress was first identified, it was shown that the release of cortisol prepared the body to cope with the physical demands of stress. Subsequently, high levels of cortisol were linked to depression and other stress-related disorders, giving rise to the hypothesis that high levels of cortisol on a long-term basis may impair the psychological capacity to cope with stress. ...
New model could help fill data gap in predicting historical air pollution exposure
2012-09-12
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, MASS. – In a study that analyzed relationships between air quality and unemployment levels, a Tufts University researcher has developed a new statistical model that retrospectively estimates air pollution exposure for previous time periods where such information is not available.
Mary Davis, an associate professor of urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences, analyzed traffic-related air pollution levels and unemployment rates in four separate regions of California for which extensive air monitoring ...
Amazing diversity documented in national park
2012-09-12
JEJU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA (September 12, 2012) – A remote park in northwest Bolivia may be the most biologically diverse place on earth, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which helped put together a comprehensive list of species found there. The announcement was released at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, an international gathering of conservationists meeting through Sept. 13 in Jeju, South Korea.
The list, published in a compendium by the Bolivian Park Service (SERNAP) and funded by WCS, shows that Madidi National Park contains 11 percent of ...
Popular pain-relieving medicines linked to hearing loss in women
2012-09-12
BOSTON, MA—Headache? Back pain? At the first sign of pain, you might reach for a pain-relieving medicine to sooth your bodily woes.
Analgesics are the most frequently used medications in the United States and are commonly used to treat a variety of medical conditions.
But although popping a pill may make the pain go away, it may do some damage to your ears.
According to a study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), women who took ibuprofen or acetaminophen two or more days per week had an increased risk of hearing loss. The more often a woman took ...
GPs using unreliable websites for tinnitus information, study finds
2012-09-12
GPs are not always using the most comprehensive and reliable online resources to support them in treating patients with the debilitating hearing condition tinnitus, researchers have found.
The study looked at the 10 main websites used by GPs to get information on clinical practice and found that the two best websites for assessing or managing tinnitus — Map of Medicine and the British Tinnitus Association (BTA) — were rarely used by family doctors, with only two per cent logging on to access their pages.
The research, which involved a team of experts from The University ...
Study examines thoughts and feelings that foster collaboration across cultures
2012-09-12
NEW YORK -- September 12, 2012 -- The musician Paul Simon came to fame collaborating with his childhood friend Art Garfunkel, yet launched another chapter with his Graceland album, collaborating with musicians from Soweto. Ratan Tata made his name expanding his family's firms in India, yet in recent decades has reached even greater success helping foreign firms such as Daewoo and Jaguar find new markets.
Whether artists, entrepreneurs, or executives, some individuals are especially able to bridge cultural gaps and leverage foreign ideas and opportunities. Why can some ...
Self-control may not be a limited resource after all
2012-09-12
So many acts in our daily lives – refusing that second slice of cake, walking past the store with the latest gadgets, working on your tax forms when you'd rather watch TV – seem to boil down to one essential ingredient: self-control. Self-control is what enables us to maintain healthy habits, save for a rainy day, and get important things done.
But what is self-control, really? And how does it work?
In a new article in the September 2012 issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, researchers Michael Inzlicht ...
How is grief unique to young adults with cancer?
2012-09-12
New Rochelle, NY, September 12, 2012—The life disruption and losses experienced by young adults battling advanced cancer can result in a unique burden of grief that is too often overlooked, as described in an article in Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (JAYAO), (http://www.liebertpub.com/JAYAO) a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. (http://www.liebertpub.com) JAYAO is the Official Journal of the Society for Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology. The article is available free online at the JAYAO (http://www.liebertpub.com/JAYAO) ...