The recent report published by the Institute of Contemporary Development, a Moscow Think-Tank gave an excellent guideline for a new Russian Revolution.  All of the goals listed in the report were the right moves for Russia, with the only exception being that the reduction of the armed forces to 600,000 may be too drastic. Although population wise, that would be in proportion to what other NATO countries have, the physical size of the country requires a larger force, possibly closer 850,000. The future of warfare is in robotics, cybernetics and drone aircraft and spacecraft.  Russia as a country that has consistently lead in sciences and engineering through a good part of the 20th century will no doubt catch up and become a leader in those areas.

Russia was the first country to put men in orbit and the first to launch an artificial satellite, it has conquered the atom over half a century ago, a feat that many countries are still unable to duplicate and a select few have accomplished. I refuse to believe that a country that had the strength to go from a feudal monarchical dictatorship to an industrialized socialist power that stopped Nazism dead in its tracks, will fail to bring about the changes outlined in this report. The goals and the direction are important here, not the final destination. Whether or not Russia decides to join EU and NATO in the long run, working toward that goal will undoubtedly benefit Russia on all levels.

Risking a great oversimplification I’d like to use this analogy: lets say that a company sets a goal to get ISO certified.  A company then attempts to get certified through improving its products and streamlining the production processes. Regardless of whether or not that company decides that certification is in its best interest it will have improved. Russia setting EU and NATO membership goals stands to benefit in the same manner.

Does  20 political parties sound like a lot? Poland had over 80 parties, including some as ridiculous as a “beer drinking party”, but through a process of democratic evolution they’ve been reduced to only 2 major ones with 2 small satellite parties.  Social change in Russia is happening already and will continue to accelerate with or without government leadership. Same goes for the economy: businesses will continue to grow, develop, invest and diversify with or without government’s help. But just image how the country would flourish if it fine-tuned and ran forward on full steam!

What is unique here is that with fearless visionary leadership, Russia has the opportunity to take what’s best and what has worked for other countries, revise it, adopt it and implement it on all levels social, political and economic.  That new Russian Revolution can make the country break out of the mold like a snowdrop through melting ice in the early spring.  Within two decades Russia can leave the stagnated western European democracies and the United States in the dust. It can have a completely new modern infrastructure, a new custom made political structure, completely modernized armed forces and Russia can once again be a world leader in science, engineering and technological advancement.

It seems that Mr. Putin lacks the same optimism, and granted, pragmatism and reserve are virtues too. However, Russia has run hot and cold streaks in the past. At the beginning of the twentieth century it had a hot streak.  Time has come for another Russian Revolution. Through a concentrated effort to restructure, modernize, upgrade and develop on all levels simultaneously, Russia will undoubtedly become a leader in the XXI century.