Soviet Zombies

I once saw a Simpsons episode where the Soviet Union returns with Lenin popping out of his glass encased public interment saying, "must crush capitalism". The episode aired in 1998. It appears though that the Simpsons seem to be some kind of prophetic oracle as Soviets are back, albeit in a morphed zombified form.

Recently there was a furor over rigged elections in Moscow over rigged elections. Vladimir Putin had decided to come back and be President again. While he lacks the human rights abuses pedigree of Stalin he seems to understand the formula. Parade some ordinary Russians out to call him grand, put on a show of stabilizing strength and most importantly, stir up the idea that Russia is isolated and surrounded by enemies all over. Thus, the Soviets return, minus their full collectivism ideology and with a new edge of cynicism. Just as zombies lack a functioning brain they are in search of brains for consumption, so too are these Neo-Soviets in their lack of a conviction of collectivism aiming at the restoration of the destructive power trappings of the Soviet era.

The return to communism era collectivism is most certainly not the answer to what ails Russia at the moment. Even Putin states that while "One who does not regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart; one who wants to bring it back has no brain" (The Economist, 2011 December 10). While Putin may not wish to bring back the Soviet collectivism and destroy the power he has over the oligarchs and by extension, the population, he has sought to recapture the people's imagination and awe. He has begun to tap Stalinist orations claiming truth and victory for the country. This represents a dangerous trend.

The Soviet Union was dangerous because it was powerful and idealistic. However, because of its idealism they chose not to use their power in a self-destructive manner. Hence, a cold war. However, since much of Russia lacks this strong sense of idealism a return to Soviet power stances could prove disastrous. Already there seems to be signs of an escalation in rhetoric coming out of Russia towards the West and echoed back. Russia's creation of the new Satan missile and the American bases aimed at curbing a Nuclear Iran could prove to be a throwback to some good old fashioned cold war arms escalation.

While this is a potentially hazardous situation for many, the sight of protestors in Revolutionary Square on December 10th shows that the full crack down has not yet been implemented. While there were over a thousand arrests it was not as an egregious display of force as many in the Arab Spring have faced. Optimistically, Putin could annul the elections and host fair and free ones. Realistically, this won't happen. But, there isn't a full zombification in Russia and thus, a zombie apocalypse has not been brought to full force. Yet.