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Putin is the leader of a new era
There are many similarities between Lenin and the president of Russia, a leader who poses a challenge to the capitalist world.
- By Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawa, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:25 January 8, 2008
- Image Credit: Illustration by Nino Jose Heredia/Gulf News
Although history repeats itself, different events take place at each stage of history. Repetition of events only exists in the minds of those who do not believe in development and change.
Even though coincidence sometimes determines the course and destiny of nations, there are some difficult equations that change such course in a way against the wishes of humanity. And Russia is an example.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has become a leading political player at both the domestic and global levels, is an example of leaders who change their nations' history.
Coming from Russia, which bears the East's conscience, Putin has become a leader who poses a challenge to the capitalist world.
There is a big difference between the dreams and greediness of the capitalist world leaders, and those of the Russian empire, which lost its struggle with the West after hoisting the white banner before the capitalist empire led by the United States in 1990s.
By drawing a parallel between Putin and Vladimir Lenin, who led a revolution not only in Russia, but also in the entire world, we find many similarities between the two leaders.
Lenin was one of the leading political figures and revolutionary thinkers of the 20th century, who masterminded the Bolshevik takeover of power in Russia in 1917 and was the architect and first head of the Soviet Union, which carried the banner of hostility against capitalism.
This led to a seven-decade long Cold War and struggle between the capitalist and communist camps that ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although there was not a real war between the two camps, many political changes took place on the global map.
This struggle revived the hopes of people to regain their freedom from colonial powers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and the aspirations of Spartacus, leader of the slave revolution against the Roman Empire.
The Russian revolution served as the motive and supporter of the aspirations of suppressed people all over the world.
This scene is worthy of deep thinking and contemplation between two worlds; the first was born in the 1920s with a new state that revived the dreams and hopes of hundreds of millions worldwide towards a better life.
The second world was born in the early beginning of the 21st century, and is still living the joy of victory over the country that was the dream of all the world's underprivileged workers, especially in the developing world.
Real world
The dream of these people was to turn their wishes into a real world, where they build a practical democracy that gives leadership to the majority rather than the minority of people.
That, however, was only a dream that never became a reality, since the real world is ruled by economic and political powers. Thus, the dream collapsed under the new reality and the errant practices of those who promised people the dream would become a reality after seven decades.
In the history of Russia, two men stand out. They have nothing in common, except the first name Vladimir, which means ruler of the world.
Putin, student of the Russian KGB, came from the Russian city of Petersburg, which was named Leningrad after the revolution and became Petersburg again after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which mirrors the conflict of intellectual and political schools between pre- and post-revolution Russia.
Although the emergence of the two men is separated by about a century and a great difference in ideology and vision, they represent two important stages in the history of the world; the first being the stage of revolution, and the second is the stage of creating a balance between the East and West.
There is no doubt that both leaders played a great role at both the domestic and international arenas due to the significance of Russia and its influence.
While the Western media never gave Lenin the credit he deserved, it has no other choice except selecting Putin for the cover of the Times magazine, one of the most read magazines in the world.
Putin, the Russian national leader who managed to regain the influence and leading position of Russia, one of the world's largest countries spreading over two continents.
This newfound spirit will not disappear when Putin leaves office later this year, because great leaders do not leave the political scene, but move from an important position to a more important one.
Putin may have re-spared the struggle between the two superpowers, but on new bases that differ from those on which the struggle was based over nine decades ago, when it took an intellectual and ideological aspect.
However, the struggle now could not be further from that aspect, as Putin's Russia is an emerging capitalist country, in which major companies are competing to control the country's political institutions.
With oil gaining top importance in the world today, Putin is controlling gas companies in Russia, at the same time that the US Vice-President Dick Cheney and other influential US figures control oil and arms cartels.
Today's struggle seems to be that of giant corporations, and hence, the suppressed people need to know how to benefit from such a struggle and utilise it to achieve their national interests.
Our Arab world, whose lands are still occupied in Palestine and Iraq, is urgently required to put this struggle to its own benefit.
Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawais a professor of sociology at the UAE University, Al Ain.
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