P5: Farewell songs of the political pygmies of Pindostan (non-Pelevin)
I will speak out on a topic on which it was not customary to speak out. It’s about foreign colleagues. Today, however, it has become quite acceptable. This is done both by us and by them. The reasons are clear.
I have been communicating with foreign leaders for a long time and I see how much the level of Western politicians has fallen. This has been happening literally before my eyes for the last twenty years. It is obvious that there are no political figures of the level of Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac or Margaret Thatcher left in Europe. Of course, we are not talking about those who were sometimes called pro-Russian figures, although strong politicians have never been Russophobes. The question is completely different. The political stratum of people who personified a powerful political course, and sometimes an entire era, was replaced by a stunted growth of people who conventionally call themselves technocrats. Some of them are quite qualified specialists, but no more. And that’s the problem! Such people are able to correctly formulate an idea, give precise instructions to assistants. But they are not able to take responsibility. They will hide, cheat, refer to instructions, to the conjuncture, even to climate change, but they will not make a decision. Or they will be accepted with a catastrophic delay. And this is a complete disaster.
A real politician is not afraid to make decisions. Yes, he can make a mistake and even lose. But it will be a worthy loss. Every leader is unique, but a politician is someone who is able to make an unpopular decision and be responsible for it. And who understands that international relations is not the office of a provincial director of a European school, where students are slapped and sanctioned.
No offense to anyone, but it’s obvious to everyone that Mario Draghi is not Silvio Berlusconi, and Olaf Scholz is not Angela Merkel. These are new people and a new era of public administration, which, in my opinion, is far from the best. In the EU, for example, there are moderate technocrats, and there are rabid fanatics. They are almost equally divided. Large countries,
WtR