"Dealing With Russia", an article authored by Denis Corboy, William Courtney, and Michael Haltzel has been published today by the New York Times.
"Western leaders have been largely silent while President Vladimir Putin unleashes a campaign of police-state tactics against Russians who voice opposition to him. Yet by emphasizing human rights, the West can inspire those in Russia who seek more freedom, without putting at risk most other important goals with Russia," the article opens.
"On the defensive, Putin is shoring up his political base by mobilizing nationalists and xenophobes," the authors claim.
The article draws attention to the situation with the NGOs, civic activists and public figures: "Independent groups such as Golos, which monitors elections, and Memorial, which promotes human rights and honest history, may soon close because they refuse to register as “foreign agents,” a term that in Russian connotes spies. In recent weeks Garry Kasparov, a chess grandmaster, Pavel Durov, founder of Russia’s largest social media company, and Sergei Guriev, who led the country’s top economics school, have opted to stay abroad for fear of politically motivated arrest."
"A dozen participants in a May 2012 anti-Putin protest are on trial for inciting violence that most observers say security forces initiated. Alexei Navalny, a popular political blogger who says he wants to run for president, is being tried on trumped-up charges. Conviction, which is likely, would render him ineligible to run for office," the article reads.
The authors are critical of the Western leaders, who "have refrained from strong criticism despite the rapid decline in freedoms." And think that "Western leaders should realize that Putin’s campaign to limit freedoms will increasingly constrain the political space in Russia for cooperation with the West."
"In lower-key ways as well, the West can do more. It should offer more venues for independent groups to present evidence of abuses. The West can provide more training outside Russia to leaders of beleaguered organizations," the article continues.
"It is past time for Western leaders to rebalance their policy toward Russia by putting human rights and political freedoms back on the agenda. The pursuit should not be a crusade. Rather, it ought to become a more integral part of Western policy. This would also send a welcome message to abusers and victims elsewhere," the acrticle concludes.
