From: muh@physics1 (Yury M. Mukharsky)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.soviet
Subject: Re: The revival of the "Moldavian" language and "democratic" Estonia
Date: 6 Sep 1992 03:22:01 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: physics1.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Sep5.104200.21520@enea.se> sommar@enea.se (Erland Sommarskog) writes:
>
>I don't know many details about Smirnov & co, except that they
>supported the putsch and that's serious enough. But some months
>ago I posted an article about the leaders in Narva. Basically
>they are the same people as before. Not extraordinary, as I
>understand, the same effect flourishes all over the ex-USSR.

I think I told that on this net once, but get no response.
What are you  expecting? In industrial cities, like Narva, 
city was mostly governed by managers of enterprises. Officials
depended on them for funds, housing etc.,etc. It is not that easy
and wise to change all those managers. I think most of them are
not that bad. After all X-USSR was in most respect not so badly
organised (meaning administered). Much better than today's republics (including Russia).
So once you take away ideology and stupidity connected to it,
in most cases it is simply unwise to change everything else at once.
When some Western country changes it's president or ruling party
nobody changes managers. Not even Mayors and some other public
officials. It took 20-30 years for cooks to learn how to rule country
(one of slogans of 1917 revolution was every cook can rule the country).
Far from perfect, but still, do you want to change them to other cooks.
Possibly, but one at a time. 

>Everyone who is at the power wants to stay there, and in Narva
>it is probably a good idea to play the nationalistic card,

Do you really think it is that hard to play this card in Narva?
My guess is that you should just sit and watch, and sometimes
restrain zelots. 

Returning to earlier today's posting, how you can not understand, that
even if all Russian applicants will receive citizenship, they are already
discriminated. Why they should beg for it? It's like if in Sweden referendum
would decide to re-register citizen. All will be re-registred automatically,
exept Finns, who also will re-registred after applying. Will this make
national relations better? Life happier?


>and there's no reason that Transdniestra is different. Except
>the means of course. Some use armes, others don't. (It is worth
>noticing while there are two break-aways republics in Moldova,
>it has only come to an armed conflict in one of them?)


You are wrong here. There were at least two, which I know about.
iGagaus was first about year and a half or two years ago.
Also it's sort of funny excuse. How many
armed conflicts should have Russia to be considered democratic? 
10% of number of regions, 20%, 30%. How many people is allowed
to kill?

>
>I'm sorry, you must be confusing with me someone else, as I cannot 
>recall having being asked such a question, nor having made any
>statements of the kind you claim. In fact, I have said things
>of the opposite opinion.
>
>For the record, I have several times presented my personal principle 
>of self-determination which grants the right of secession of an
>area if this is the will of the majority of the inhabitants

I am not sure you are correct here, but apparently Nagorny
Karabakh, Transdnestia, Narva and even Riga (at least year ago)
are eligible for secession. Riga would be fun :)

>in that area. The principle also grants them the right to join
>another country, but only if that country accepts them.

Yury
Xref: sparky talk.politics.soviet:7932 soc.culture.soviet:7612 soc.culture.nordic:5627