Democracy for Everyman.

(From The Moscow Times)

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Letters to the editor should be sent by fax to (7-495) 232-6529, by e-mail to oped@imedia.ru, or by post. The Moscow Times reserves the right to edit letters.Email the Opinion Page EditorNoaaethaiiay aaiieethaoey: sovereign democracy

Every once in a while I go on a linguistic self-improvement campaign, a mini-program of enlightenment designed to expand my horizons and raise my political consciousness. "Yo, Berdy," says I, "'tis better to light a candle than curse the darkness of your ignorance."

This time I decided to shine a light on aaiieethaoey (democracy). First, I discovered that Russian doesn't really need the word. It comes from Greek via French and German, and is a synonym for iaethiaiaeanoea, a nice, old Russian word that says what it means: that power (aeanou) is in the hands of the people (iaethia).

Now, in Russia it has been qualified as noaaethaiiay aaiieethaoey (sovereign democracy). I read a zillion gigabytes on this term before finally finding the definitive definition, as it were, by Vladislav Surkov, deputy head of President Vladimir Putin's administration and the man who coined the term. It is: iaethac iieeoeaneie aecie iauanoaa, iethe eioiethii aeanoe, eo iethaaiu e aaenoaey auaeethathornony, oiethieethothornony e iaiethaaeythornony eneethorneoaeuii ethinneeneie iaoeae ai ani a iiiaiiaethacee e oaeinoiinoe ethaae ainoeaaiey iaoaetheaeuiiai aeaaininoiyiey, naiaiau e niethaaaaeeainoe anaie aethaaaaiaie, nioeaeuiuie aethoiiaie e iaethiaaie, a iaethacothornueie (the model of the political life of society in which the authorities, their structures and actions are chosen, formed and directed exclusively by the diverse Russian nation as a whole to achieve material well being, freedom and justice for all citizens and social and ethnic groups that comprise it).

Got that? Well, how about this free translation: the political and economic system made by Russians for the benefit of Russians ...