I saw “The Bourne Supremacy” this weekend, the sequel to the spy-thriller hit “The Bourne Identity.” I enjoyed the film, especially the frenetic car chase, even if it had even less to do with the Robert Ludlum book upon which it was based than the first one. (For the record, Ludlum’s “The Bourne Identity” is unquestionably one of the best spy novels of all time.)
One bit of political background in the movie struck a discordant note. In general terms (so as not to spoil the plot), a Russian politican who is assassinated is identified as both a “liberal reformer” and an opponent of oil privatization (the latter of which may have gotten him killed). Maybe I don’t know enough about Russian politics (in fact, I’m sure I don’t), but aren’t the “liberal reformers” in Russia typically classical liberals and quite free market? If this impression is correct, wouldn’t a “liberal reformer” support privatization, even if he criticized potential corruption? Or is my sense of Russian politics just off base?Update: “Non-Muhammed Volokh,” Russian emigrant, economist, and former
blogger e-mails with the following observation, suggesting the filmakers were not so off-base after all:
Lots of liberal reformers in Russia aren’t so hot about privatization-as-actually-practiced, which was a highly corrupt affair. To the extent that privatization is seen as Yeltsin and Putin enriching their buddies (and, by extension, entrench themselves in power), a liberal reformer trying to position himself against the Putin crowd can support the free market in theory but in practice favor delaying privatization of certain enterprises until there’s greater transparency in the process and better corporate governance law.
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