Political analysts state growth of Stalin's popularity in Northern Caucasus

At the background of bureaucrats' and power agents' lawlessness, residents of Northern Caucasus find more and more positive elements in Stalin's rule, the political analysts Rinat Mukhametov and Ruslan Kurbanov believe. Their opinion is confirmed by the survey of the "Levada-Center", which has fixed the growth of Russians' sympathy for the "leader of all nations" personality.

The image of Stalin is becoming increasingly popular among residents of Northern Caucasus, believes Rinat Mukhametov, an employee of the Institute of Middle-Eastern Studies at the MarmaraUniversity (Istanbul).

"Any growth of statist sentiments in the society will add to Stalin's popularity; that's what we are now watching," said the expert.

In his turn, Ruslan Kurbanov, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RussianAcademy of Sciences (RAS), believes that "the North-Caucasian society is drifting toward Stalinism."

"This drift toward Stalin's times is more and more visible and palpable. Despite the quarter of century of post-Soviet history, the mentality of our society has not changed much. People are more accustomed to live under a tough hand, but with guarantees. The society is inclined to habitually abandon the frightening freedoms and the need to permanently think and make choices," said Ruslan Kurbanov.

Russian citizens are gradually changing their attitude to Joseph Stalin, finding more and more positive elements in his methods of ruling, which was evidenced by a survey conducted by the "Levada-Center" in March this year.

According to the "Levada-Center", 54% of the respondents give a positive evaluation of Stalin's activities. It should be noted that still the majority of the public would not welcome a return of Stalin's time; 60% of Russians said they would not like to live and work with this sort of leader.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.