Talk:Alexander Mirtchev

Questions regarding sources

I think it is worth addressing some of the issues raised by a new account user:RachelleLin. Their reasons for reversion are:

Deleted erroneous information, added numerous references, updated sources, fixed references, corrected misinformation, added Academic and Policy Analysis Sections Fixed grammar in intro section. Added references and fixed bad coding in ref section. Cleaned up Controversies section. Author misquotes WSJ article, which is about Deripaska

The grammar adjustments were certainly helpful but the erroneous information they deleted was sourced from the WSJ, and everything else that was removed was from reliable sources. For example, the reason "Author misquotes WSJ article, which is about Deripaska" is not accurate. The direct quote from the source is:

The advisers include Alexander Mirtchev and Thomas Ondeck, who operate a Washington consulting firm called GlobalOptions Management. They are among the consultants who lawyers and government officials say are being investigated by the Justice Department and Manhattan D.A. for possible money laundering. A lawyer for their firm said they haven't been contacted by either Justice or the Manhattan D.A. Records show that $9.75 million from the wire transfer went to Messrs. Mirtchev and Ondeck's firm. The lawyer for the firm confirmed that it had provided $9.75 million of client services and said that, "consistent with past practices, such services were for lawful purposes." Mr. Mirtchev said he was contractually barred from discussing the transaction but said that he and his partners "rigorously abide by all of the laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate."

The remaining bits of the article that were changed look like a puff piece. For example,

Mirtchev is president of Krull Corp., USA, which describes itself as "a global strategic solutions provider, with a focus on new economic trends, economic security and emerging policy challenges." In his official biography at the Krull Corp. website, he is described as executive chairman of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies International(RUSI), board director and member of the executive committee of the Atlantic Council of the United States, and Wilson National Cabinet Member at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

...was changed to:

A renowned leader in economic policy and market democracy, Washington, D.C.-based Mirtchev has provided policy analysis to governments, agencies, law firms, international enterprises, and research councils. Mirtchev serves as Executive Chairman of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies International (RUSI), Board Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the Atlantic Council of the United States, and Wilson National Cabinet Member at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Everything else is very well sourced and a complete removal of such content seems improper KazakhBT (talk) 00:31, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Removal of well-sourced material

I find the removal of sources by [user:RachelleLin|RachelleLin] odd. They removed several highly-credible sources including:

• The Wall Street Journal (twice)
• Spiegel
• The Human Rights Foundation
• Forbes

I especially find the removal of the paragraph below strange. It is well sourced and directly mentions Alexander Mirtchev:

Money laundering

According to the Wall Street Journal, Mirtchev and Thomas Ondeck, whom the Journal identified as principals in the Washington consulting firm GlobalOptions Management, were among the advisors "being investigated by the Justice Department and Manhattan D.A. for possible money laundering."

The Journal indicated that Mirtchev and Ondeck were being investigated for a $9.75 million wire transfer sent "to Messrs. Mirchev and Ondeck's firm. The lawyer for the firm confirmed that it had provided $9.75 million of client services and said that, 'consistent with past practices, such services were for lawful purposes.' Mr. Mirtchev said he was contractually barred from discussing the transaction but said that he and his partners 'rigorously abide by all of the laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.'"

The controversy section on Kazakhstan is, admittedly, too long; however, that is not cause to remove the section entirely, especially when it is well-sourced. I propose a section along the lines of what I have below:

Kazakhstan

Rakhat Aliyev, former son-in-law of the Kazakh president Nursultan Nazerbayev, had identified Mirtchev as the "point man for President Nazerbayev, not only in seeking to resolve his legal problems but in helping to manage some of the fortune he has accumulated in 19 years in power." Krull Corp. sent an email to the Nazerbayevs that included information about the U.S. travels of a rival political to Nazerbayev, as well as a report "analyzing the cell phone records of a Washington lobbyist for the Kazakh political opposition," which, according to Aliyev, had been provided to Nazerbayev by Mirthcev.

Nazerbayev hired GlobalOptions Management (GOM), a consulting firm for which Mirtchev is a co-owner, "with the goal of polishing the president's tarnished image" after it came to light that Switzerland had "frozen roughly $80 million in illegal kickbacks from the U.S. oil industry." In reports sent to Nazerbayev, "Mirtchev bragged about his direct contacts at the White House, the Justice Department and the FBI."ref name="spiegel" />

KazakhBT (talk) 21:53, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Unencyclopedic writing

In an edit summary by [user:RachelleLin|RachelleLin], they wrote "Poorly written and un-encyclopedia like." Yet if one were to read the page as it stands now, it reads like a promotion.

The page previously read: "Mirtchev is president of Krull Corp…"

However, it now reads: "A renowned leader in economic policy..." and "Mirtchev is an accomplished academic…"

I think this strange. I also find it strange that the section on his professional activity was completely removed. The man is a professional consultant, so it seems odd that his page would have nothing about his profession. Perhaps a better title would be "Career"? After looking at a few comparable pages, that seems to be a more standard section title.

KazakhBT (talk) 21:55, 30 November 2012 (UTC)