The Soviet Union is dead; long live the Soviet Union. This seems to be the current mood in the corridors of power in Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has persuaded the Parliament to restore the Soviet anthem as Russia's national hymn and the czarist red banner, which was used in Soviet times as well, as the flag of the Russian armed forces. In a fit of nostalgia -- or servility, depending on one's point of view -- the Parliament voted 381 to 51 to support this historic initiative, thus returning communist paraphernalia to the limelight.

This is bad news for Western tourists who have spent their money on red flags, purchasing them as souvenirs from cheerful but greedy young vendors on the streets of Moscow. Quite predictably, the red flag has proven to be a bad investment. Visitors from the American Midwest or Holland thought they were lucky if they were able to get it for less than $20. Now the production of red banners will be subsidized by the state again and if anybody is interested, it would be possible to buy a whole suitcase of these disgustful and tasteless artifacts for $20.

So did Putin reintroduce the red cloth to diminish the power of Russia's black market? There seems to be no other rational explanation for his feat.