Oligarchy is defined by Merriam-Webster this way: "a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes." Members of the small group are oligarchs.
Sure, Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia, the leader out in front, the point man. But he's not alone. Unofficial, unelected partners cooperate with him and with each other. Favors and deal-making keep fellow members of the group enormously rich and powerful.
An ice arena was built ($100 million) by Iskander Makhmudov to be used at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Afterwards, he gave it to the Russian government. Nothing in the article tells us what favor this generous gift repaid.
from "The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Russian Oligarchs," Forbes, April/May 2022, pp.104-112
(cont'd tomorrow)
No comments:
Post a Comment