Short reflection on Ilya Budraitskis' book of essays “Dissidents among Dissidents.”
I just finished reading Ilya Budraitskis' book of essays “Dissidents among Dissidents.” It is a book about post-Soviet Russia and its society, problems, ideology, issues, hopes, politics, forgotten and remembered revolutionary traditions, its left and history. It is also a book everyone on the left from the "other" side of the wall ought to read. Us Yugoslavs as well, formally between, but perceived in the West as those from the other side of the Iron curtain. All heirs of historically unforgivable mistake called communism. Similarities and analogies are many, too many, all striking and incredible. Inevitable too. Anyways, the quote at the bottom is from a text Budraitskis wrote with Ilya Matveev and captures so well, too well I'd say the sentiment of not only liberals, but huge sections of the left in post-socialist geographies. They are writing about Navalny, but you are free to substitute Navalny with most political actors and you get a clear image as to what the s...