Kim Jong-un 'Snubs China' and Accepts Putin's Invite to Moscow - Newsweek
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 Newsweek |
Kim Jong-un 'Snubs China' and Accepts Putin's Invite to Moscow
Newsweek North Korea's Kim Jong-un has accepted an invitation from Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend a military march in Moscow this May, according to South Korean media, making his first ever foreign visit since coming to power in 2011. "It was ... Buying Russian Jets Key To Secret North Korea World War 3 Plan, Attack Would ...The Inquisitr all 493 news articles » |
The Many Faces of Vladimir Putin
FRONTLINE The larger-than-life Russian leader has held power — with one title or another — for 15 years, and is set to reign for at least a decade more. Yet Putin remains inscrutable. Putin's Way, FRONTLINE's investigation into the accusations of criminality ... and more » |
Vladimir Putin to miss Holocaust memorial ceremony at Auschwitz
Telegraph.co.uk Sources told Reuters on Monday that Poland deliberately issued foreign governments with a less formal announcement of the event to avoid the controversy that might surround extending a formal diplomatic invitation to Mr Putin. Mr Putin has received a ... |
 Toronto Star |
Putin Won't Attend Commemoration of Auschwitz Liberation
New York Times Mr. Putin's absence, though, will avoid a potentially awkward scene. Relations between the two nations have been chilly since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in late 2013. Poland has been especially outspoken in calling for more sanctions against ... Putin won't travel to Auschwitz liberation anniversaryToronto Star Putin avoids Auschwitz anniversary event amid tension with PolandThe Guardian Vladimir Putin will not join other world leaders for Holocaust commemorations ...The Independent Yahoo News-Reuters all 219 news articles » |
 PRI |
Five corrupt moves that helped make Putin the most powerful man in Russia
PRI The key player in all this is the man at the top of Russia, President Vladimir Putin. He's been in charge so long that many forget he was once an unemployed KGB agent looking for a new job in St. Petersburg. The CBC's Gillian Findlay captures his rise ... |
 inoСМИ.Ru |
Путин и синдром осажденной крепости
inoСМИ.Ru Владимир Путин — не «обставивший Запад гроссмейстер», а просто лидер, которому из-за украинской авантюры пришлось столкнуться с «падением курса национально валюты, масштабным финансовым кризисом и гигантским экономическим спадом». Эти прозвучавшие незадолго до ... |
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 Собеседник |
Путин и Рождество. Как Отрадное ожидало визит президента
Собеседник Каждый год в Рождество Владимир Путин приезжает на службу в отдаленные от столицы храмы. Этот год не стал исключением. Село Отрадное, где стоит храм Покрова Пресвятой Богородицы, который в этом году посетил Путин, находится буквально в 30 км от центра Воронежа. Почему Владимир Путин приехал на Рождество именно в Воронежскую область?Информационно-сервисный портал Воронежа Неделя в политике. Путин – в Отрадном, Кадыров – в "Инстаграме"Независимая газета Владимир Путин встретил Рождество в сельском храме под ВоронежемРоссийская Газета Вести.Ru-Время Воронежа-ГТРК Воронеж Все похожие статьи: 15 » |
Путин не едет в Орду
Комсомольская правда Больно было смотреть на Путина, поехавшего в Ирландию на встречу «восьмерки» и в Австралию на встречу «двадцатки» - он выглядел, как русский князь в Орде, среди надменных ханов и баскаков. Те унижали его, кичились своим господством. Но Русь окрепла, и в Орду больше не ... |
 Forbes Россия |
Почему Владимир Путин не услышит предложений Алексея Кудрина
Forbes Россия В центре рассуждений Кудрина два простых вопроса: возможно ли преодолеть кризис сПутиным во главе государства и возможно ли его преодолеть, несмотря на сохранение большей части санкций, введенных против России в связи с присоединением Крыма. На оба вопроса Кудрин ... и другие » |
 Yahoo News |
Inequality and the Putin Economy: Inside the Numbers
FRONTLINE Throughout his time in power, Vladimir Putin has promised to level the playing field in Russia, with an emphasis on growing the middle class. In 2008, he described the gulf between rich and poor as “absolutely unacceptable,” and in 2012 he wrote that ... Vladimir Putin to miss Holocaust memorial ceremony at AuschwitzTelegraph.co.uk Kremlin: Poland Failed to Invite Putin to Auschwitz EventABC News Putin will not go to Auschwitz for 70th anniversary of liberationYahoo News RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty all 224 news articles » |
 Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей |
Освенцим без Путина
Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей Освенцим без Путина Владимир Путин ставит свечу у памятника жертвам фашизма во время церемонии, проходившей в бывшем концентрационном лагере Аушвиц-Биркенау близ Освенцима в честь шестидесятилетия освобождения немецкого концентрационного лагеря советскими ... Путин не поедет в Освенцим, но может поехать в ЧехиюBBC Russian Путин не поедет на празднование 70-летия освобождения ОсвенцимаРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ Путин отказался от поездки на юбилей освобождения ОсвенцимаForbes Россия Lenta.ru -РБК -Комсомольская правда Все похожие статьи: 256 » |
 РИА Новости |
Путин провел телефонные переговоры с королем Иордании
РИА Новости МОСКВА, 14 янв — РИА Новости. Президент РФ Владимир Путин в телефонном разговоре с королем Иордании Абдаллой Вторым обсудил безопасность в регионе Ближнего Востока, а также международные усилия по борьбе с терроризмом, сообщила в среду пресс-служба Кремля. Владимир Путин обсудил с королем Иордании борьбу с терроризмомРоссийская Газета Путин обсудил с королем Иордании проблемы безопасности на Ближнем ВостокеГазета.Ru Путин обсудил с королем Иордании вопросы безопасности на Ближнем ВостокеТАСС Все похожие статьи: 5 » |
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Putin's Way
PBS FRONTLINE investigates the accusations of criminality and corruption that have surrounded Vladimir Putin's reign in Russia. Tracing his career back over two decades, Putin's Way reveals how the accumulation of wealth and power has led to autocratic ... and more » |
Russia's financial crisis may bury Putin's Eurasian dream
Reuters Officially, the heads of the neighboring states are sympathetic to Russia's plight and several outwardly back Putin's Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), which he hoped could recoup the potential lost when the Soviet empire collapsed more than two decades ... and more » |
 inoСМИ.Ru |
Путин теряет связь с реальностью
inoСМИ.Ru Однако Владимир Путин предпочитает не предпринимать никаких решительных мер, и делает вид, что никакого кризиса нет. В своих двух самых важных публичных выступлениях в декабре прошлого года Путин просто рассказал гражданам о «текущей ситуации». В новогоднем ... Путин пойдет ва-банк?siteua.org Все похожие статьи: 31 » |
 Kyiv Post |
Russia's financial crisis may bury Putin's Eurasian dream
Yahoo News MINSK/ALMATY/TBILISI (Reuters) - Growing damage from Russia's financial crisis on neighboring former Soviet states could bury President Vladimir Putin's dream of creating an economic union to rival the United States and European Union. From Belarus on ... Russia's financial crisis may bury Vladmir Putin's Eurasian dreamEconomic Times Reuters: Russia's financial crisis may bury Putin's Eurasian dreamKyiv Post all 14 news articles » |
 Reuters Blogs (blog) |
Germany's anti-immigrant PEGIDA isn't a Vladimir Putin plot. It's scarier.
Reuters Blogs (blog) Last week, when I attended my first rally in Dresden organized by PEGIDA, Germany's mysterious “anti-Islamization” movement, I was reminded of the aggressive pro-Russian protests that tore apart eastern Ukraine a year ago. Thousands of demonstrators ... |
 The Moscow Times |
Russia Will Stick With Putin Till the Bitter End
The Moscow Times Putin's actions in 2014 have focused the world's attention on Russia. Now all things Russia — from its cash reserves, penetration into European economies and foreign policy activity — have shifted from the periphery to center stage. Now every ... The Balkans are the soft underbelly of EuropeFinancial Times Vladimir Putin Sets Stage For World War 3, Expands Russia's Nuclear Weapons ...The Inquisitr Putin's New Military Doctrine Doubles Down on Jedi Mind TricksVICE News Business Insider-India Gazette all 102 news articles » |
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 Bloomberg View |
An Oscar Nomination, Putin and the Truth
Bloomberg View These are the days of unconventional movie-release tactics. A few weeks ago, as cinemas begged off screening "The Interview," the comedy that infuriated North Korea, Sony banked on streaming revenues. The makers of "Leviathan," the Russian film that ... and more » |
 РБК |
Известных правозащитников не позвали на форум с участием Путина
РБК На форум НКО «Государство и гражданское общество: сотрудничество и развитие», организованный федеральной Общественной палатой и операторами президентских грантов, не позвали известных правозащитников, в том числе членов Совета по правам человека при президенте. Путин может принять участие в форуме «Государство и гражданское общество: сотрудничество во имя развития» - ПесковИнтерфакс Азербайджан Все похожие статьи: 90 » |
 Newsweek |
Putin's Judo Partner Set To Build Russia's Bridge to Crimea
Newsweek The first bridge connecting Russia with the annexed Crimean peninsula will be built by Russian construction magnate and personal friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Arkady Rotenberg, local business daily newspaper Vedomosti reported on ... Putin is about to absorb part of yet another country's landQuartz 2014 Person of the Year: Vladimir PutinAviation Week The West Has Putin in a Box But Refuses to Pull the TriggerTheBlaze.com Bloomberg-The Fiscal Times-FRONTLINE all 204 news articles » |
 TheBlaze.com |
The West Has Putin in a Box But Refuses to Pull the Trigger
TheBlaze.com According to the “cornered rat” theory, Vladimir Putin is more dangerous with his back to the wall. This theory says he is far from finished, despite sanctions, a collapsing economy, and international isolation. We know for a fact that Putin does not ... PBS' And Frontline's Double Standard Re PutinBay Area Indymedia all 3 news articles » |
 РБК |
Навальный нашел настоящего владельца «дачи Путина в Испании»
РБК Фонд борьбы с коррупцией (ФБК) Алексея Навального утверждает, что вилла в Испании, которую британский таблоид Daily Mail назвал собственностью президента России Владимира Путина, принадлежит члену Совета Федерации от Камчатского края Валерию Пономареву. Дача Путина в Испании. Чья она на самом делеРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ Все похожие статьи: 54 » |
 PBS MediaShift |
Professor talks about Vladamir Putin's rise to power
East Oregonian (subscription) Farley, who teaches Russian and European history at Washington State University's Tri-Cities campus, decoded Putin at last night's Eastern Oregon Forum at Blue Mountain Community College with “Deconstructing A Dictator: Who is Vladimir Putin and What ... What Putin Teaches Us About Handling Internet TrollsPBS MediaShift Poll: Fifty-five percent of Russians want to see Putin as their president ...Kyiv Post Increasingly, Russians See No Alternative to PutinThe Moscow Times Bay Area Indymedia all 9 news articles » |
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 Аргументы и факты |
Путин без вариантов
Газета.Ru Более половины россиян хотели бы, чтобы Владимир Путин сохранил президентский пост и после 2018 года. Почти треть, наоборот, за его уход, но и среди них многие ждут в президентском кресле преемника путинской политической линии, говорится в свежем исследовании ... Больше половины россиян хотят, чтобы Путин стал президентом в 2018 годуАргументы и факты Такого как Путин: Россияне рассказали про альтернативу действующему президентуМосковский комсомолец 55% россиян хотят, чтобы Путин остался и после 2018 года BBC Russian Комсомольская правда-РИА Новости-Деловой Петербург Все похожие статьи: 86 » |
 Федеральное агентство новостей No.1 |
Путин поздравил с юбилеем композитора Максима Дунаевского
Московский комсомолец Президент России Владимир Путин поздравил с юбилеем российского композитора Максима Дунаевского, сообщается на сайте Кремля в четверг. «Примите поздравления с 70-летним юбилеем. Самого глубокого уважения заслуживают и Ваша большая общественная, ... Путин поздравил с 70-летием композитора Максима ДунаевскогоФедеральное агентство новостей No.1 Путин и Медведев поздравили Максима Дунаевского с юбилеемГазета.Ru Владимир Путин поздравил с юбилеем композитора Максима ДунаевскогоГоворит Москва Все похожие статьи: 38 » |
 KM.RU |
Путин и Медведев поздравили Максима Дунаевского с 70-летием
KM.RU Президент России Владимир Путин и премьер-министр РФ Дмитрий Медведев направили композитору поздравительные телеграммы. Глава государства отметил умение Дунаевского работать в различных музыкальных жанров, что дало ему возможность сотрудничать с известными ... Путин поздравил с юбилеем композитора Максима ДунаевскогоМосковский комсомолец Путин поздравил с 70-летием композитора Максима ДунаевскогоФедеральное агентство новостей No.1 Путин и Медведев поздравили Максима Дунаевского с юбилеемГазета.Ru Говорит Москва Все похожие статьи: 48 » |
PBS MediaShift |
What Putin Teaches Us About Handling Internet Trolls
PBS MediaShift Internet trolls and Vladimir Putin share several traits, but none more fundamental than the fact that to the communities they confront, they are a vexing enigma. Who is this person? Where do they get their information? Are they crazy or do they really ... Professor talks about Vladamir Putin's rise to powerEast Oregonian (subscription) Poll: Fifty-five percent of Russians want to see Putin as their president ...Kyiv Post Putin suggests transferring part of state functions to NGOsITAR-TASS The Moscow Times all 12 news articles » |
РИА Новости |
Путин предложил политическим НКО решать «общенациональные задачи»
РБК Президент России Владимир Путин заявил, что государство будет продолжать поддерживать политические некоммерческие организации (НКО), но только те, которые помогают в решении общенациональных задач. Об этом он заявил на форуме НКО «Государство и гражданское ... Путин: политическая деятельность НКО должна быть направлена на решение госзадачТАСС Путин: НКО в политической сфере должны решать общенациональные задачиРИА Новости Путин: НКО должны решать общенациональные задачиГазета.Ru Вести.Ru -Взгляд -Интерфакс Все похожие статьи: 11 » |
Remembering Vladimir Putin as a boy
New Statesman “I saw [President] Yeltsin,” she told me recently, speaking in her native Russian, “and to the side of him was Putin. I ran up to the television to get a closer look.” Yuditskaya began following the progress of her former student, to whom she had ... |
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Путин и Мадуро: встречи лидеров России и Венесуэлы
ТАСС Как сообщила пресс-служба Кремля, главы государств планируют обсудить актуальные задачи развития двустороннего сотрудничества, в том числе реализацию крупных совместных проектов. Россия и Венесуэла развивают сотрудничество в различных отраслях, в том числе в ... и другие » |
 РИА Новости |
Путин призывает гражданское общество к консолидации
РИА Новости "Россия нередко сталкивается с серьезными вызовами, чтобы достойно на них ответить, укрепить наше самосознание, самостоятельность и суверенитет, нужно в первую очередь создавать атмосферу сотрудничества и доверия в обществе",- сказал Путин на общероссийском форуме ... и другие » |
Владимир Путин: политическая деятельность НКО должна быть направлена на решение общенациональных задач
Коммерсантъ Владимир Путин, выступая на Гражданском форуме, заявил, что деятельность НКО в политической сфере должна быть направлена на решение общенациональных задач. Президент уточнил, что государство готово им помогать. «Когда мы говорим об НКО, работающих в политической ... Путин предложил региональным властям передать НКО часть функций в социальной сфереИнтерфакс Путин призвал передать НКО часть государственных функций в социальной сфереРусская планета Все похожие статьи: 3 » |
A Desperate Putin Makes a Private Sector Power Grab
The Fiscal Times Russian President Vladimir Putin has already been pressuring large Russian companies that do business overseas to support the country's failing currency by converting income earned in foreign currencies to rubles. Now, when the directors of major ... and more » |
The Western world has yet to figure out what to do with Vladimir Putin.
He has taken parts of Georgia, Moldova, and most notably, Ukraine, by force. He ignores treaties and diplomatic conventions. Angela Merkel of Germany claims he lives in an alternate universe in which white is black and blue is green. How should Europe and the United States respond to Putin’s aggression? That is the question.
According to the “cornered rat” theory, Vladimir Putin is more dangerous with his back to the wall. This theory says he is far from finished, despite sanctions, a collapsing economy, and international isolation. We know for a fact that Putin does not back down when faced with adversity. He doubled down on repression against the mass demonstrations of December 2011. He expanded his hybrid war into east Ukraine despite world outrage over Crimean annexation. Weapon and troop deliveries were not ramped down after MH17. Putin invaded Ukraine with regular troops in August as his proxy forces faced defeat in the Donbass. He has not given an inch at the bargaining tables of Geneva and Minsk, despite crippling sanctions.
The “cornered rat” model has even been used in some Realpolitik circles to argue, that we should lighten up on Putin. We should make life easier for the rat in the corner before it bites. That is dead wrong: The correct approach is to take away the rat’s teeth.
The correct approach is to take away the rat’s teeth.
A better analogy of how to deal with Putin is the “rat in a box” model. The box is flimsy, and a strong rat can escape to bite his captors. But the captors control the rat’s food and oxygen supply, which, if cut back properly, produce a feeble rat incapable of harming anyone.
Putin’s Ukraine venture has indeed put him in such a box. The flimsiness of the box is the lack of resolve by Putin’s European and American adversaries, who hesitate to deploy the instruments at their disposal to defang the rat. The leaders of the Western world likely do not even understand that they hold the fate of Putin’s regime in their own hands.
We must first recognize that Putin is in the box because of mistakes that belie his reputation as a master tactician:
First, Putin believed that southeastern Ukraine would share his outrage over the “New Ukraine” created by the Euro-Maidan revolution. Putin found anti-Ukraine sentiments only in the Donbass and for that he required Russian special forces and ample supplies of walking-around dollars.
Second, Putin lied outright to Western leaders, the most important being Germany’s Angela Merkel, who now clearly understand his intentions and recognize that deals cannot be made with inveterate liars. (Nevertheless they continue to mouth support for a “diplomatic solution” that will not happen.)
SRussian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the Valdai discussion club on October 24, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images
Third, Putin gambled that he could push around Europe and the United States with no consequences – until they imposed biting sanctions following the MH17 disaster and his invasion of Ukraine with regular troops in August.
Fourth, Putin promised the Russian people that the “Russian World” could be reconstituted with no economic costs and loss of Russian lives. The Russian people, thanks to his propaganda, have not yet fully understood this is a lie. When they do, his regime will be at risk.
Fifth, Putin rattled the gas weapon in Europe’s face with the unintended consequence of finally convincing Europe to wean itself from Russian natural gas. He brandished the nuclear threat and thereby broadened the east Ukraine conflict beyond Ukraine. Europe and the U.S. may not care that much about Ukraine, but they do become attentive when a nuclear power threatens nuclear war.
Sixth, Putin lacks the most elementary understanding of economic constraints and budget limitations and has been caught off guard by declining budget revenues, ruble crisis, double digit inflation, and recession.
Seventh, Putin’s adventures have put at risk his social compact with the Russian people: “You tolerate my kleptocratic government and repression and I’ll give you rising standards of living and stability.” Putin’s regime is founded on this social compact, which his Ukrainian adventures have jeopardized. Not so smart, if you ask me.
Having Putin in the box of an expensive military venture in a region that does not welcome him and which he cannot afford to support as his own economy collapses gives the Western world enormous leverage to turn Putin, the small muscular rat, into an emaciated version of his former self.
Europe and the United States, have yet to deploy the array of levers that can emasculate Putin’s Russia, but one weapon alone — international sanctions — has taken a deep bite. They must be preserved, and apparently, the European Union principle of unanimity will make them difficult to remove.
The sanctions, in effect, deprive highly indebted Russian banks and energy companies of access to Western credit markets. Because of Putin’s rule-of-lawlessness, debts are short term and a large portion must be refinanced each year. The only remaining sources of dollar liquidity are central bank reserves and rainy-day funds, which will be depleted rapidly as long as the sanctions persist. As the Russian government, banks, and companies frantically search for dollars, the ruble collapse will continue, inflation will accelerate, and living standards will fall further.
Will the Russian people blame the “evil West” that Putin lambastes, or will they blame him? That is a key question that remains to be answered.
The economic crisis is also depriving Putin of the financial wherewithal to wage war and acquire more territory in Novorossiya. The incorporation of Crimea has already put the Russian pension fund under severe stress. Russia cannot afford to support its client “people’s republics” in the Donbass, which face a humanitarian crisis. Putin has had to drop his favorite infrastructure projects, such as the SouthStream pipeline, and who knows where the money will come from for the pipelines to China.
What are the Western world’s most potent levers that have not been mobilized?
First, the West can supply lethal weapons to Ukraine to give it the capability to inflict real harm on Russia’s regular and irregular forces as the fighting heats up again as the various “ceasefires” fall apart. There have been some minor flows of weapons from Poland, the Baltic States, and Canada, but only the U.S. can supply the advanced radar, anti-tank weapons, and missile-evasion technology.
Russian President Vladimir Putin . AP Photo/Sergei Chirikov, Pool
Reinforcing Ukraine’s defensive capabilities places Putin under severe pressure. Russian deaths on the Ukrainian field of battle already number in the thousands – a fact the Putin regime has tried to conceal. Societies of Mothers of Russian Soldiers are mobilizing against the war in Ukraine, and Putin can scarcely jail their leaders as he does dissidents. The Russian people are emphatically against sending their sons to fight in Ukraine. A muscular Ukraine would impose such losses on Russia that would threaten the existence of the Putin regime.
Congress has passed and President Barack Obama has signed the Ukraine Freedom Act, which gives the president discretion to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine. Obama will likely choose not to send weapons for fear of angering Russia.
This is wrong. A muscular Ukrainian military assures a narrowing of the conflict. More weapons mean less danger from Russia for Europe, NATO, and the United States. Obama must also understand that the U.S. and NATO will remain enemy number one in Putin’s propaganda war whether or not he authorizes weapons. Putin already asserts that the CIA is running the show in Ukraine. Anti-tank weapons and radar will not make any difference in Putin’s narrative.
Second, Europe and the United States must pitch in financially and with reform know-how to make Ukraine’s turn to the west a success. Ukraine’s people revolted because they were tired of corruption and the lack of a rule of law. Ukraine wanted to be a part of Europe not of Russia. Ukraine has since held legitimate presidential and parliamentary elections and has a young reformist government in place in which foreigners hold major cabinet positions. But remember that Ukraine is fighting long odds. Ukraine has lost some 20 percent of its territory in a hot war and must rebuild its military. Its intelligence agency is infiltrated by Russian spies. Without a Ukrainian Marshall Plan, that takes into consideration these special conditions, the Ukraine experiment is likely to fail, and Putin will have won without lifting a finger.
Putin’s propaganda machine continues to describe Ukraine as an “illegitimate neo-Nazi extremist regime” dancing to the tune of the CIA and NATO. Instead of recognizing the new Ukrainian government, Putin has grudgingly promised to “hold it in esteem.” That Ukraine’s government is so deeply flawed has been Putin’s standard explanation for Russian intervention. A successful, reform Ukraine would lay to waste this rationale.
Third, Europe must wean itself from the Russian natural gas teat. Its stress tests show that it can do so by liberalizing the free flow of gas among European countries. Most importantly, its anti-monopoly commission must declare the obvious this spring – that Gazprom is a monopoly that must be broken up. Without the natural gas weapon, the Putin rat shrinks to an insignificant irritant.
Fourth, the West must begin to counter Putin’s “alternative world propaganda” that has captured most of his Russian audience and exerts an inordinate influence on European public opinion. Putin employs a vast army of undercover journalists, sympathizers, and paid hacks to sell the Putin story throughout the Western world, which sits back and absorbs the blows. Apparently, Europe is considering a Russian language broadcast and the U.S. must upgrade Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. These efforts will not be counter-propaganda but simply truth telling news. They are vitally needed in the new era of hybrid warfare in which propaganda plays an outsized role.
An underlying weakness in devising Russian policy is that we do not understand what makes Putin and his inner circle tick. We live in the “civilized world” of norms and accepted behavior, which we assume others share. We cannot comprehend that an entire nation can be run as a criminal enterprise, by kleptocrats whose only concern is power and wealth and preserving both.
Understand that Putin and his kleptocrats do not really care about Mother Russia.
Understand that Putin and his kleptocrats do not really care about Mother Russia. They use Russian nationalism and territorial expansion for their personal interests, not out of patriotism. U.S. businessmen have learned the bitter lesson—after their investments have been confiscated by oligarchs—that the ruling elite really cares only about power and wealth. They must do what Putin wants, not what is best for Russia.
We accept the convenient image that Putin presents to the outside world — a true Russian nationalist bereaved by the loss of an empire that was stolen by the West and remains encircled by NATO enemies planning a sneak attack. Any number of Western apologists argue he has no choice but to strike back as a matter of national preservation.
Those who do not understand Putin believe we must feed the rat in the box to give him the strength to break its bonds. Once he has done so, he’ll be tame and we can live in peace. That is not the case. Feeding the rat will only increase his appetite.
Russian kleptocrats, Putin chief among them, worry that they have constructed a society that has no rule of law, other than the whim of the ruling circle. They know political fortunes can change quickly. They understand their lack of legitimacy, and they live in fear of that one spark that can bring millions to the streets. Their nightmare, indeed, is a Euro-Maidan demonstration on Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square. They tremble at the prospect of a rule-of-law prosperous Ukraine on their borders. How long would it be before their people learn from the Ukrainian experience and rise up to overthrow them?
Some worry that Putin is winning. Putin has a sky-high popularity rating. Support for the sanctions may slip. Ukraine has its own problems and cannot stand up to the Russian military. Until recently, I might have agreed, but I believe the tide has turned, especially after the onset of Russia’s economic crisis. We cannot predict the future because it depends, in my view, on whether the West uses its levers to tame Putin. If it does, the outcome is not in doubt. The biggest question of all is whether Europe and the United States are willing to deploy the vast array of instruments at their disposal to defang Putin and his regime.
This piece was written to accompany the three-part series “The Root: Red Storm” on The Glenn Beck Program airing Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night at 5 p.m. ET on TheBlaze TV.
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TheBlaze contributor channel supports an open discourse on a range of views. The opinions expressed in this channel are solely those of each individual author.
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Newsweek |
Putin is about to absorb part of yet another country's land
Quartz Ten months after annexing Crimea and igniting his current standoff with the west, Russian president Vladimir Putin will as early as this week take control of South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, with which he has a long, sour relationship. He ... Putin's Judo Partner Set To Build Russia's Bridge to CrimeaNewsweek 2014 Person of the Year: Vladimir PutinAviation Week The West Has Putin in a Box But Refuses to Pull the TriggerTheBlaze.com Ames Tribune -Bloomberg -The Fiscal Times all 217 news articles » |
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Путин нарисовал рожицу на песке
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