A Legacy

June 12, 2004

Shortly after we arrived in Moscow on Monday, June 7 on the Trans Siberian Railroad I learned the sad news that Ronald Reagan had passed away two days earlier. Walking around later in Moscow we saw first-hand one of the most important legacies of our 40th President. Red Square was closed this week as the Russian government prepares for the June 12th celebration of what they call their "Independence Day", independence from the former Soviet Government. The preparations in Red Square are another example of the head-spinning ironies and breath-taking changes that are possible in the world we live in.

In the 60's, 70's, and 80's I remember the annual Soviet parades in Red Square with over-the-top Soviet fanfare. Aging Soviet leaders with increasingly mummified faces stood upon Lenin's tomb, with the mummified remains of the Soviet Union's founder on display, watching as various Soviet military hardware rolled by. We walked around the perimeter of Red Square this week to peek inside at the very different preparations for the June 12th national holiday. Today, the hammer and sickle flag is gone, and in its place the white, blue and red Russian flag flies over the Kremlin. Huge replicas of this Russian flag lie in front of the parade viewing stand from which a much younger Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, will view the parade. Directly across from the viewing stand and against the GUM department store lies a huge, red, three story banner of the Russian double-headed eagle - a symbol from the pre-communist imperial days that one finds everywhere in Russia again. The military, of course, still figures prominently in the parade as we saw many different units practice their parade steps in Red Square all week. As I write this, it is Friday evening, June 11th in California and Reagan's body has just been laid to rest in Simi Valley. Here, it is Saturday June 12th and the Red Square parade is just starting. The juxtaposition couldn't be any more dramatic.

Russia continues to go through dramatic changes as it absorbs the changes in its government and its economy. Commercial activity seems to still be shackled with bureaucratic mentalities - nimble, responsive, and flexible this country is not. Mindless forms and slavish devotion to illogical processes still dominate. Culturally, the country is an interesting mixture of beauty and vulgarity. The natural beauty of the country is spectacular and the restored beauty of its pre-soviet architecture and other cultural relics is similarly stunning. Vulgarity is also seen everywhere in the displays of noveau-riche wealth in the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg and in the 1980's disco style clothing. Overall this country still seems to be a work in progress. But given the enormous intellectual and cultural legacy of this country and given its vital strategic importance to the West, I hope they find their path to a stable society beneficial to its people and the world.