From Merlin to autarky

On March 15, 2004, Novaya Gazeta published Mikhail Yuryev's report "The Fortress of Russia", which even known for his "analytical reports", Stanislav Belkovsky, called provocative. (Mikhail Yuryev, vice-speaker of the State Duma of the second convocation from the Yabloko party, now a member of the Eurasia movement, co-owner of the Interprom industrial group, one of the hundred most wealthy citizens of Russia).

The main idea of ​​the report: "The policy of isolationism is Russia's only salvation from extinction." We will not comment on the numerous proofs of this dubious statement, since most of the provisions of the report can cause nothing but bewilderment. Here are just a few extensive quotations.

* "If the Russian economy makes a turn towards isolationism, but retains the current market principle of organization, then it will not be ascetic, just as the economy of the 20th century record holder in economic growth, the German Third Reich, was not ascetic: despite the proclaimed priority of guns over butter, it not only "tigers" and "panthers" were produced, but also revolutionary for their time (moreover, affordable for the people) "Volkswagens" ...

“There is no strategically more important task for Russia in economic policy than declaring autarky as a goal and, accordingly, preparing, turning and actually moving towards it. Preparation should include the development of an ideology that justifies the need for this, and convincing a significant part of society in it. It is unlikely that this is particularly difficult, even without reference to the traditional Russian mentality, since it is based on a universally basic value: the the nation and the state is above all.Any interaction with the outside world is entry into dependence on it independence of . ) Those enterprises owned by foreign capital that already exist do not need to be nationalized - it is enough to announce that the state will not exchange the rubles they earn for foreign currency, and its purchase on the market is impossible. Of course, the whole world will quite rightly say: what now certainly never, not in a hundred years, not in two hundred, no one will invest in Russia - and this is especially pleasing and warms the soul. "*

On the system of separation of powers: Today, even there, this system is an anachronism, because what is the point of balancing the elective parliamentary power of the elected president or the elective upper house with the elected lower house? It exists in working mode only due to a centuries-old tradition that we do not have, so why we need to have separately elected heads of state and parliament is incomprehensible. In itself, the distribution of power to several centers does not give any positive effect - otherwise the owners of corporations would appoint not one, but two or three presidents .

... With already established autarchy, even incomplete, there is no need for any kind of politics at all - it comes down to intelligence and building a defense policy on its basis .

The general conclusions of the report are as follows:

*1. Thanks to the policy of the 1990s, Russia's economic lag behind the West, and now also China's, is so great that it can be overcome even in a few decades only with constant ultra-high growth rates. And since the West and China will also not stand still in their economic development at this time, the growth rates should not only be super-high, but all the time will be very much ahead of their growth rates.

1. In an open economy, this is fundamentally impossible.

2. If we do not liquidate, or at least do not radically reduce this gap, we will inevitably be liquidated in the foreseeable future as an independent country and a separate civilization.

3. Therefore, we need to move to a closed economy. This is all the more relevant because in the current world order, no one will let us enjoy the sweetest fruits of the open economy.

4. A closed economy can provide the required growth rates if it is even more liberal, in particular, more competitive than the Western one. No return from the market to state planning is required.

5. In order to withstand the confrontation with the West, which we cannot avoid, in addition to a change in economic policy and in order for such a change to become possible and working, a significant change in ideology is also needed.

6. The main tool for such a change is the creation of significant differences from the West in various spheres of life, which fit into a certain vector and then become civilizational barriers. Such barriers will greatly change the entire mentality of the nation.

7. Foreign policy, except for a small number of friendly countries, should be based on significant, although not complete, isolation from the outside world, including a complete refusal to participate in multilateral international relations. Bilateral relations must move to a rigidly pragmatic basis with a complete rejection of universal human values, as well as everything in general, except for their own interests.

8. All these changes in economic, ideological, foreign, and if necessary, domestic policy mutually reinforce each other. Together they form the concept of "FORTRESS RUSSIA".

9. This concept is needed for several decades to win the next cold, and if necessary, hot war. After this happens and the threats from 1-3 disappear, her time, at least in the form presented here, will pass. *

Sources

• Yuriev Mikhail. Fortress Russia // New Newspaper. 2004. March 15-17.