New Russian 'Solidarity' Movement Is Launched

The Russian Liberals, using the famous moniker of the Polish revolution, Solidarity, have launched a renewed effort to restore the democratic principles that rose out of the fall of the Soviet Union. Former international chess champion, Gary Kasparov, is leading the movement that held an organizing meeting in the Moscow area today. Here's some of the details from the story over at Breitbart:

Former chess champion Garry Kasparov and other prominent liberals launched a new anti-Kremlin movement in Russia on Saturday.
The organization, called Solidarity after the victorious Polish anti-communist movement, aims to unite the country's dysfunctional liberal forces and encourage a popular revolution similar to that seen in other ex-Soviet countries.
"We are fighting for victory because we have something to say to our people and something to offer them," Kasparov said at the founding congress Saturday in a Moscow-region hotel. "On this very day, we are in a position to take stock of past mistakes and act differently," he said.
With a parliament now dominated by Kremlin-friendly parties, Russia's liberals have found themselves marginalized. Yabloko and SPS, the two main democratic parties to emerge after the collapse of the Soviet Union, lost their State Duma representation in 2007 after failing to garner at least 7 percent of the vote.

The Russians really find themselves in a tough spot ...in that the Kremlinists have basically kept the face of democracy but under Putin, they have taken more and more un-democratic positions and instituted more and more of the Soviet-like totalitarian policies, yet most Russians remember the economic despair that occurred under the first Liberal government.

From an American viewpoint, it certainly would be good news to see the Liberals gain some political hold and start checking the imperialist actions of the Russian Kremlinists under the puppet leadership of Medvedev. An interesting part of the article:

Solidarity's manifesto, "300 Steps to Freedom," outlines concrete recommendations on how to improve the social, political and economic setup of the country.

That almost sounds like the Republican party's Contract with America back in the 90's, doesn't it?

This movement will have an uphill battle and with Putin still running the Russian government, I would say it's entirely possible that Kasparov and these other Liberal leaders may find themselves in a bit of danger over the next year. It's going to come down to the Russian people deciding if they have suffered from the totalitarian Putin government or if they fear more, a return to economic downfall that is so associated with the Liberal movement from the old days.

Kasparov starts new Russian anti-Kremlin movement

Much of the Russian public has lost faith in liberal democracy, which remains associated with the chaos, poverty and corruption that emerged in Russia under President Boris Yeltsin.
"One of the tasks of the Solidarity movement is to rehabilitate those basic principles that, unfortunately, for a significant or even overwhelming portion of our fellow citizens, have become associated with failure, misery or reduction of freedom," Kasparov said.
Critics like Kasparov say Russia under former President Vladimir Putin and now his protege Dmitry Medvedev has rolled back the democratic reforms that heralded the post-Soviet era.
Some 150 delegates from more than 40 Russian provinces poured into the hotel's auditorium Saturday, where they voted unanimously to inaugurate the movement.
After the vote, the delegates rose from their seats to cheer, clapping along to rock music from the "glasnost" era, the period of openness and political debate that presaged the collapse of the Soviet regime.
Kasparov called on delegates to salvage the tainted reputation of Russian democracy by joining forces against Russia's current leaders. Those leaders, he said, "have taught themselves to use liberal rhetoric and have created a complete dictatorship under the mantra of liberal principles."
Solidarity's manifesto, "300 Steps to Freedom," outlines concrete recommendations on how to improve the social, political and economic setup of the country.
But in a sign of what it may be up against, members of the pro-Kremlin youth group Young Russia, some dressed as monkeys, demonstrated outside the Saturday conference, distributing flyers that read "monkeys are rocking the boat."
Standing around a wooden dinghy, they hurled bananas into the air, some of which were lit on fire.
"We came to show that there are people in our country who actually wish our country well," said Valery, one of the young pro-Kremlin activists.
Kasparov and other opposition leaders emphasized that the financial crisis offered a window of opportunity for Russia's democratic opposition to prosper.
Both the leaders and delegates were hopeful about the new movement's prospects, though they recognized the enormity of the task ahead.
"We might not be able to launch an Orange Revolution right now, but we can certainly create an orange organization," said Valeriya Novodvorskaya, one of the movement's leaders, referring to the Orange Revolution in Ukraine that brought pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko to power.