a hard day
two interviews today, the first
great the second less so. this afternoon we tried moscow sushi and then, taking
some local advice, made our way to detski mir to try and find an electric
razor.
No rain this morning, but no sun
either. I had one of those dreams you finish completely just before something or
someone wakes you. It was something violent in which I was a hero. Very
satisfying I think. It felt like we all slept in, but when Sam woke us it was
still only 6:30.
We were supposed to meet the US Embassy's military attache just after 9:00 a.m. for coffee near our apartment, but he called while I was still in the shower at 8:30. We rushed to get ready and made it down to the coffee shop at about 9:00. Pity he picked the place because we'd been there and the food (and especially the coffee) was awful. On the other hand, the interview was endlessly interesting.
For one thing, this was the only person to suggest that the Russian military did something right at some point in the war (September 1999 to January 2000). He also asked as many questions as he answered. He noted that Russia is considering deploying two mountain brigades to Chechnya because the current Army contingent (the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division) is not equipped to take the fight to the hills as it should be. But there's no telling if Russia will actually deploy the brigades or how they would do if sent to Chechnya.
In addition, the problem of corruption came up again and again; as well as issues of how well the Russian military learns lessons from past operations (including some in the far distant past). Our guest's position was that the Russian military (including the FSB and Interior Ministry forces) has its problems, but overall is no where near the basket case many in the West believe it to be. This is to say nothing, however, about two problems endemic to contemporary Russian armed forces: looting (basically, organized crime) and more grave human rights abuses (rape and murder). Russian armed forces also have problems with retention and they tend to rotate troops into and out of theater too quickly for units to capitalize on their experience. Maybe it's the case that Russia's traditional comparative advantages (space and lots of bodies) make it possible for Russian soldiers to violate what most armies consider good discipline and still remain effective?
We had a second interview at 11:30 so we wrapped this first interview up at just after 10:00 a.m. We stopped back at the apartment to grab a quick bite to eat and say hi to Mom and the kids before catching a taxi to our next interview. The fee was 600 rubles (about $22.00) and the ride was nail biting (no seat belts either) but we arrived at our destination in one piece and just on time. After an awkward wait for the elevator with a security person, we were ushered into the offices of our second interview, where we spent a rather less productive hour chatting about Chechnya and Russia.
This time discussion turned to broader political issues, including political reform in Russia (or rather its failure), and the poor quality of Russia's political leadership, which has and will complicate Russia's efforts to resolve the conflict in Chechnya which is now spreading to Dagestan, Kabardia, Ingushetia, and Ossetia. Russian policy to date has resulted in the destruction of a larger national self-determination movement and its replacement by radical Islamic terrorism (whether this represents a pragmatic strategic choice by Chechnya's canny leaders or a genuine conversion of much of Chechnya's disaffected and vengeful youth remains to be seen). Our host lamented the lack of any broader Russian public political pressure on Putin (analogous to the lack of the same pressure on the Bush administration), and argued that in its absence there simply isn't any incentive for Moscow to resolve the conflict (it can handle its current costs--about 40 soldiers a month--indefinitely).
The real threat to Putin's leadership comes not from an angry public, but from the Russian business community which essentially holds Russian investment capital hostage. Capital flight in the wake of the Khodorovsky show trial debacle is a much bigger threat to Putin than Russian public opinion.
Our driver met us downstairs and we rode back to our apartment, amazed to discover how long it can take to drive a few blocks simply because Moscow's streets tend to run one way (so one can literally drive fifteen minutes to go two blocks). On the way back I snapped a couple shots of the Kremlin with the sun shining on it.
When we returned the kids woke up and we decided to try a nearby Japanese restaurant (claimed by our morning interviewee to be the best in Moscow). I was highly skeptical of sushi in Moscow and I'm afraid I wasn't a very good sport about it. I especially didn't like it when we arrived and the doorman (dressed in a ridiculous samurai outfit) attempted to tell us that there were no free tables (his body language suggested he was clearly lying). I ran back to the apartment to change shoes and convert some currency and when I returned Monica, Mom, and the kids had been seated (turns out they miraculously discovered a free table in a rear corner of the place: we noted a number of other open tables throughout the restaurant as we sat).
I know Americans get considerable bad press about this, but I can't get used to the smoking in restaurants (especially with the kids). Still, I wanted to give it a fair chance. The service was unbelievably slow, however, so I again began to simmer while our sweet but constitutionally-antsy children grew more and more anxious. Finally some food came (miso soup) and it was so good I began to think better of the place, hacky outfits, smoke, slow service and all.
But things only got worse from there. The sushi wasn't bad, but overall the meal was mediocre. I'm afraid I began to sulk and pout, and finally Monica just encouraged me to leave with Ingrid rather than stay and complain. We took a walk up to Moskva bookstore and browsed around before again meeting up with Monica, Mom, and Sam for our walk to Detski Mir (kid's world).
Mom, by this time, was not in the best of moods, and I don't think she understood what a long walk it might be, so her mood didn't improve much as we walked. The weather also started heading south, with rain looking more and more likely.
But the plan was to buy me a razor at the store, then head over to the Bolshoi to get them tickets to see a performance in the old Bolshoi theater (last night they saw Madame Butterfly in the new theater).
Detski Mir has four floors, and after asking it seemed our best chance to find my razor was on the fourth floor. I'm so glad we went because it was just like the stores in the old Soviet Union. We'd only just been lamenting the fact that in Moscow today all you can buy is either cheap souvenirs that cost a lot of money, or Western consumer goods that cost about thirty to forty percent more than in the West. But here at Kid's World was a piece of the old USSR.
We finally found the razors only to learn that they were shavers rather than anything one could groom a beard with. So I settled for scissors. On the same floor, however, Monica came upon a section of the store devoted to performing arts clothing for children. She bought Sam ballet slippers (he's now soured on the idea of taking ballet lessons, which he's scheduled to start after we return stateside), and Ingrid a leotard and tutu.
We emerged back onto the street into a fairly decent rain for our walk back to the ticket office and then home. We arrived at the ticket office to discover that Eugene O'negin was no longer sold out, so we tried to buy tickets. Not enough cash though. Fortunately, Mom lent us enough rubles to get the tickets and we then exchanged more dollars and Monica went back with Sam to buy tickets for their performance tonight (prima ballerina Svetlana something, who was, in their words, amazing).
I agreed to watch the kids again and with Monica's help (she made another great dinner and cleaned up) they were fed and bathed almost before Monica and Mom left for their show. Sam went to bed at 7:00 p.m. (his idea: he seems to think if he goes to sleep on time it will magically summon Spongebob Squarepants on the TV in the morning) and Ingrid at 8:00 p.m.
I relaxed, reading a bit and watching Julius Caesar (Marlin Brando as Marc Anthony and James Mason as Brutus), followed by a bad Richard Widmark/Karl Maulden movie on Turner Classic Movies before turning to working through today's photos and writing the blog. I trimmed my beard with the scissors (which upon closer inspection don't seem to be all that new) and now everyone's asleep but me.
Tomorrow we have an important interview but I'm not sure who it is. On the other hand, you can all look forward to not having to read about my beard anymore.
Good night.
We were supposed to meet the US Embassy's military attache just after 9:00 a.m. for coffee near our apartment, but he called while I was still in the shower at 8:30. We rushed to get ready and made it down to the coffee shop at about 9:00. Pity he picked the place because we'd been there and the food (and especially the coffee) was awful. On the other hand, the interview was endlessly interesting.
For one thing, this was the only person to suggest that the Russian military did something right at some point in the war (September 1999 to January 2000). He also asked as many questions as he answered. He noted that Russia is considering deploying two mountain brigades to Chechnya because the current Army contingent (the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division) is not equipped to take the fight to the hills as it should be. But there's no telling if Russia will actually deploy the brigades or how they would do if sent to Chechnya.
In addition, the problem of corruption came up again and again; as well as issues of how well the Russian military learns lessons from past operations (including some in the far distant past). Our guest's position was that the Russian military (including the FSB and Interior Ministry forces) has its problems, but overall is no where near the basket case many in the West believe it to be. This is to say nothing, however, about two problems endemic to contemporary Russian armed forces: looting (basically, organized crime) and more grave human rights abuses (rape and murder). Russian armed forces also have problems with retention and they tend to rotate troops into and out of theater too quickly for units to capitalize on their experience. Maybe it's the case that Russia's traditional comparative advantages (space and lots of bodies) make it possible for Russian soldiers to violate what most armies consider good discipline and still remain effective?
We had a second interview at 11:30 so we wrapped this first interview up at just after 10:00 a.m. We stopped back at the apartment to grab a quick bite to eat and say hi to Mom and the kids before catching a taxi to our next interview. The fee was 600 rubles (about $22.00) and the ride was nail biting (no seat belts either) but we arrived at our destination in one piece and just on time. After an awkward wait for the elevator with a security person, we were ushered into the offices of our second interview, where we spent a rather less productive hour chatting about Chechnya and Russia.
This time discussion turned to broader political issues, including political reform in Russia (or rather its failure), and the poor quality of Russia's political leadership, which has and will complicate Russia's efforts to resolve the conflict in Chechnya which is now spreading to Dagestan, Kabardia, Ingushetia, and Ossetia. Russian policy to date has resulted in the destruction of a larger national self-determination movement and its replacement by radical Islamic terrorism (whether this represents a pragmatic strategic choice by Chechnya's canny leaders or a genuine conversion of much of Chechnya's disaffected and vengeful youth remains to be seen). Our host lamented the lack of any broader Russian public political pressure on Putin (analogous to the lack of the same pressure on the Bush administration), and argued that in its absence there simply isn't any incentive for Moscow to resolve the conflict (it can handle its current costs--about 40 soldiers a month--indefinitely).
The real threat to Putin's leadership comes not from an angry public, but from the Russian business community which essentially holds Russian investment capital hostage. Capital flight in the wake of the Khodorovsky show trial debacle is a much bigger threat to Putin than Russian public opinion.
Our driver met us downstairs and we rode back to our apartment, amazed to discover how long it can take to drive a few blocks simply because Moscow's streets tend to run one way (so one can literally drive fifteen minutes to go two blocks). On the way back I snapped a couple shots of the Kremlin with the sun shining on it.
When we returned the kids woke up and we decided to try a nearby Japanese restaurant (claimed by our morning interviewee to be the best in Moscow). I was highly skeptical of sushi in Moscow and I'm afraid I wasn't a very good sport about it. I especially didn't like it when we arrived and the doorman (dressed in a ridiculous samurai outfit) attempted to tell us that there were no free tables (his body language suggested he was clearly lying). I ran back to the apartment to change shoes and convert some currency and when I returned Monica, Mom, and the kids had been seated (turns out they miraculously discovered a free table in a rear corner of the place: we noted a number of other open tables throughout the restaurant as we sat).
I know Americans get considerable bad press about this, but I can't get used to the smoking in restaurants (especially with the kids). Still, I wanted to give it a fair chance. The service was unbelievably slow, however, so I again began to simmer while our sweet but constitutionally-antsy children grew more and more anxious. Finally some food came (miso soup) and it was so good I began to think better of the place, hacky outfits, smoke, slow service and all.
But things only got worse from there. The sushi wasn't bad, but overall the meal was mediocre. I'm afraid I began to sulk and pout, and finally Monica just encouraged me to leave with Ingrid rather than stay and complain. We took a walk up to Moskva bookstore and browsed around before again meeting up with Monica, Mom, and Sam for our walk to Detski Mir (kid's world).
Mom, by this time, was not in the best of moods, and I don't think she understood what a long walk it might be, so her mood didn't improve much as we walked. The weather also started heading south, with rain looking more and more likely.
But the plan was to buy me a razor at the store, then head over to the Bolshoi to get them tickets to see a performance in the old Bolshoi theater (last night they saw Madame Butterfly in the new theater).
Detski Mir has four floors, and after asking it seemed our best chance to find my razor was on the fourth floor. I'm so glad we went because it was just like the stores in the old Soviet Union. We'd only just been lamenting the fact that in Moscow today all you can buy is either cheap souvenirs that cost a lot of money, or Western consumer goods that cost about thirty to forty percent more than in the West. But here at Kid's World was a piece of the old USSR.
We finally found the razors only to learn that they were shavers rather than anything one could groom a beard with. So I settled for scissors. On the same floor, however, Monica came upon a section of the store devoted to performing arts clothing for children. She bought Sam ballet slippers (he's now soured on the idea of taking ballet lessons, which he's scheduled to start after we return stateside), and Ingrid a leotard and tutu.
We emerged back onto the street into a fairly decent rain for our walk back to the ticket office and then home. We arrived at the ticket office to discover that Eugene O'negin was no longer sold out, so we tried to buy tickets. Not enough cash though. Fortunately, Mom lent us enough rubles to get the tickets and we then exchanged more dollars and Monica went back with Sam to buy tickets for their performance tonight (prima ballerina Svetlana something, who was, in their words, amazing).
I agreed to watch the kids again and with Monica's help (she made another great dinner and cleaned up) they were fed and bathed almost before Monica and Mom left for their show. Sam went to bed at 7:00 p.m. (his idea: he seems to think if he goes to sleep on time it will magically summon Spongebob Squarepants on the TV in the morning) and Ingrid at 8:00 p.m.
I relaxed, reading a bit and watching Julius Caesar (Marlin Brando as Marc Anthony and James Mason as Brutus), followed by a bad Richard Widmark/Karl Maulden movie on Turner Classic Movies before turning to working through today's photos and writing the blog. I trimmed my beard with the scissors (which upon closer inspection don't seem to be all that new) and now everyone's asleep but me.
Tomorrow we have an important interview but I'm not sure who it is. On the other hand, you can all look forward to not having to read about my beard anymore.
Good night.
Posted: Wed - June 15, 2005 at 11:45 PM
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Published On: Jun 16, 2005 12:02 AM
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Published On: Jun 16, 2005 12:02 AM