by C.F. Stewart

Created on: May 13, 2007   Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Boris Yeltzin was the right man at the right time. Gorbachev, a master politician but staunch communist, had been leaning a little too far to the west to the dismay of the more conservative end of the party. as such, during his 'vacation', the more radical elements within the party staged a coup and subsequently, the president of Soviet Union found himself under house arrest. Yeltzin's timing could not have been better. The inept gang of coup leaders thought their plan to be virtually flawless until Boris took to the streets and alerted the 'bread-liners-in-perpetuity' that more of the same would follow unless change was acted upon at that very moment. Tank battalions took an abrupt about-face and soon their orders were being issued by none other than the insurrection leader himself. They trained their 130mm guns on parliament in an attempt to make the coup leaders capitulate which they did. Soon, Boris found himself in the Presidential chair in Moscow with Mikhail Gorbachev ousted. As for the coup and its architects, well, who cares. The face of Russia had changed for the better.

Sadly, Boris, even after pushing through a new constitution, permitted his subordinates to bend his ear with both asinine and corrupt designs. The new Russia, in the mind of Boris Yeltzin, would not tolerate the slipping away of Chechnya, especially into Muslim extremist hands. So, the now Russian Federation launched a brutal campaign to reign in the breakaway territory. Not unlike Afghanistan in some ways, the terrain was unforgiving and the insurgency often melted away with much of the innocent population taking the pounding from Russian guns. Conscripts,by the hundreds if not more, abandoned their post and the Army was left in disarray. Chechnya became a failure linked directly to Mr. Yeltzin and his policies. His penchant for alcohol certainly failed to provide any strategic clarity to the situation so the situation worsened. Few of his domestic policies faired better, though Russians everywhere were now free to vote their conscience. I imagine it would be acceptable to compare Mr. Yeltzin's administration to that of General Ulysses s. Grant shortly after the American Civil War. A mostly honorable man but not one predisposed to great intellect. Thus his government, like Yeltzin's, lapsed into corruption. The bold and audacious moves made to alter history itself had in many ways, been eclipsed by blind ignorance and ineptitude.

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