13 Comments

Excellent article. I wish him the best. Interesting to me one of the commenters (had to) bring up Trump. Trump didn’t spy on his opponents campaign; Trump didn’t “weaponize” the FBI and CIA; Trump didn’t pursue false investigations for years. Trump did not kill an American citizen with a drone. Please try to move on from Trump. It will be good for everyone’s health.

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I love Sharansky's comments on the power of a sense of humor. I've always felt humor has been one of the most powerful Jewish weapons in the face of difficult times throughout history. It is a small way to have some control even in the most desperate of times.

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That's a great interview and the timing is pitch-perfect. I suspect we have such heroes amongst us too, though they themselves may not at present have any inkling that they will become heros in the future.

I think we're going to need every hero we can get.

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My comment could be taken as mentioning something minor, but in the bigger picture of things, I think not: Thank you for linking to B&N instead of Amazon.

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A piece on Navalny, Okay why not. But why does it have to look as one sided and skepticism free as a MSNBC segment on Russiagate?

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It's funny that people don't see how Trump's story is similar to Navalny.

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I thought Sharansky's point about never feeling alone in his struggle was insightful, but I'm not sure that courageous people challenging authoritarianism like Navalny have it "better" today. Yes, word of their actions can spread more easily, and they can potentially see more evidence that their message is spreading. However, at least in the US, I think some of our community ties have been fraying for decades (see Robert Putnam's work), and we've seen a pronounced acceleration of that trend in the last year as we haven't really been able to gather with friends. Bari, you yourself mentioned (I think it was on Megyn Kelly's podcast) that having the support of loved ones as you challenge dominant narratives is crucial. For people who don't have as much of a support system as you, are photos shared on social media enough to motivate people to continue speaking out? How can we help support people who have fewer close ties?

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I traveled in Lithuania from 1991-1996 and Russia from 1998 through 2006, and I remember what i was told when Putin first cam to power in 1999. I stayed mostly in the South in the Volgograd Oblast (State). The Russian businessman I stayed with and his friend and associates, which included local officials, were unanimous in saying "Putin is a gangster" and "Putin is a mafioso". They knew that Putin would steal and take anything he wanted by using gangster mafia style methods of protection schemes, kidnappings, torture and murder, "like the St. Petersberg criminal gangs he worked with". Navalny is in the hands of a gangster, don't let the trappings of the head of state full you. A gangster will never back down because of political pressure or lack of support among the people, or protests. He will kill and imprison anyone he has to in order to protect himself. The only thing that stops gangsters like Putin is arrest and imprisonment, or death at the hands of other gangsters. The second method will only mean a new criminal group takes over so that is less desirable and there may not be other gangs strong enough. The first method will require the Russian military or the FSB (SVR or GRU) to remove him out of patriotism because they believe he is hurting the Russian state. Putin has strong supporters in the military and intelligence services so the second option doesn't seem likely either. So it looks like Navalny is going down, and the only question will be whether he is killed or just sent to some Siberian prison where he will be for silenced.

This is a lesson for us here in the USA. This is what happens when you let a gangster (or someone who thinks like a gangster, (i.e. that everything is about personal gain and personal power, without any morality to restrain him) get a hold of the reins of power. That person will do anything to hold on to power, no matter what he destroys or how many are hurt. Trump didn't do as much as Putin will only because he was too stupid, weak, and didn't know how to build the apparatus to do it. But Trump showed us the danger of letting a demagogue stay in high office because of fear of political backlash (McConnell, Cruz), or money (Giuliani). If an intelligent person with Putin's intelligence and lack of restraints, ever got to be POTUS Trump has shown us how the USA could go down the path that Russia has.

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His answers contain very interesting points. Alas, regarding the stand the free world will take, there is very little room for hope or optimism. Macron refuses to take one, Germany has approved the NordStream2 pipeline project and the by Putin supported Brexit politicians are in power in Britain. Biden's first move was right, but will it hold?

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