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Chess Grandmaster Kasparov Versus President Putin

Posted by kdawson on from the winning-combination dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Times of London has an article on how Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, is using his fame and intellect in an attempt to defeat President Putin at the presidential elections in March 2008. Kasparov believes that Putin is virtually a dictator who is dismantling democracy and returning Russia to an authoritarian regime. Some high-profile Putin critics, such as Alexander Litvinenko, have been the victims of unsolved murders, and Kasparov is aware of the dangers: 'I can calculate the possibilities as a chess player and I have to be honest and say that our chances are not high. But I take this as a moral duty, and when you do something out of moral duty, then who cares?'" From the article: "[Kasparov] will not be a contender for the presidency but [his political umbrella group] The Other Russia aims to create the conditions under which an anti-Putin candidate can win. It appears, however, to be an uneven contest against a man who enjoys 80 per cent approval ratings. Most Russians want Mr. Putin to overturn a constitutional bar on a third term in office. Many will back whomever Mr. Putin endorses to succeed him."

3 of 416 comments (clear)

  1. "news relevant to United States politics" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    That's what the slashdot FAQ says the politics section is for. How the hell does Kasparove vs. Putin chess match relate to US politics?

    In fact, I hardly have seen any stories in this section that are really related to the US government at all.

    Why don't some editors follow their own rules?

  2. Just goes to show by ch-chuck · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    we are just pawns in the global geopolitical game.

    If We Hit that Bullseye, the rest of the Dominoes will fall like a house of Cards. Checkmate.

    --
    try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
  3. Right on Tibet but Wrong on Taiwan by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    Most Taiwanese oppose independence for Taiwan. Indeed, they support most of the geopolitical objectives of Beijing. In particular, the Taiwanese support integrating Tibet into "one China". The constitution of the democratically elected Taiwanese government insists on integrating Tibet into "one China".

    Most Taiwanese do not want to be ruled by Beijing, but they view being ruled by Beijing as simply an inconvenience. They can live with this inconvenience if they are earning plenty of money.

    The Taiwanese love Chinese money: the Taiwanese voluntarily made Taiwan dependent on mainland China by investing more than $100 billion into more than 50,000 businesses in mainland China. More than one million Taiwanese have already emigrated to mainland China to live and work there.

    We Westerners should not lift a finger to help the Taiwanese bastards. Their treatment of Tibet is outrageous.