After 20 years in power, Putin looks weaker than ever

[Anonymous]

I do not know much about Russia's domestic politics. But, we can pontificate on one of the world's most recognizable leaders and Western bogeyman.



By Christian Caryl of the Washington Post



We have a regrettable tendency to take authoritarian regimes at their word. Just think of that word "strongman". We almost always deploy it uncritically, and in doing so we play into the hands of the dictators. Strength is what they love to project. They spend huge amounts of time and energy assuring their citizens of their toughness and their machismo. And yet, as you can see in many a schoolyard, the preening bully is almost always trying to hide an underlying weakness. He doesn't get his power through respect or love or hard work — he gets it through fear. When the other kids stop being afraid, the bully immediately knows that his time is running out. He has two options: to change his ways — or to increase the scale of the violence he's willing to bring to bear. The catch with the second option, of course, is that it doesn't address the fundamental problem.



Which brings me to Russia, where prosecutors have just announced plans to withdraw parental rights from a couple who dared to bring their oneyear-old child to a political protest on July 27. That was also the day that Moscow police arrested 17-year-old Olga Misik, who had committed the unthinkable crime of - wait for it — reading aloud from the Russian constitution. A few days later, during another protest, the cops swooped down and detained a pro-government politician who was actually giving an interview defending a harsh government crackdown on demonstrators apparently assuming that anyone talking to the media must be a member of the opposition.



These three stories tell you all you need to know. The current Russian leadership might look strong. But it's actually running scared.



And it's easy to understand why. On this day, which marks the 20th anniversary of the day Vladimir Putin first came to power as Russia's acting prime minister, his country is struggling. The latest wave of unrest in Moscow, which was triggered by the city government's refusal to register opposition candidates for an upcoming election, is merely the latest episode in a longer story. Recent years have seen a steady rise in public discontent, though the causes don't always involve politics. In just the past few months, citizens have protested a waste dump, the construction of a cathedral and the redrawing of an administrative border. As the Carnegie Endowment's Andrey Pertsev recently noted, "Russians, once cowed by the potential consequences of taking to the streets, are increasingly willing to protest over nonpolitical and local issues."



Pertsev is right to note that there is a new fearlessness about these recent demonstrations that makes them remarkable. The extraordinarily brutal suppression of the Moscow protests on July 27 didn't prevent more demonstrators from taking to the streets in the days that followed.



The Financial Times notes that the real incomes of Russians have been steadily falling over the past six years, and are now 10% lower than they were in 2013 — the year before Putin annexed Crimea and went to war with Ukraine. Even if the economy grows a bit this year, many of Putin's compatriots, who live in one of the most unequal societies in the world, won't feel much benefit. Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin warned last month that the country could be heading for a recession if things don't change.



But "change" is precisely the problem. In two decades, the Putin regime has failed to deliver on urgently needed reforms. It has failed to diversify the economy beyond its natural-resource base. Corruption remains rampant. Business people and citizens can't rely on courts to deliver impartial justice. Politically well-connected oligarchs stifle competition and innovation.



One recent survey found that 44 percent of the country's young people would choose immigration if they had the chance. Small wonder that some Russians are comparing their president to Leonid Brezhnev. So we should expect increasingly brutal crackdowns on even the least significant protests. The big question: How much longer are Russians willing to be bullied?

[Anonymous]

I don't know how much of this is true because American media does demonize Putin's Russia..



Gaon will probably have an opinion about this.

[Anonymous]

I do not know much about Russia's domestic politics. But, we can pontificate on one of the world's most recognizable leaders and Western bogeyman.



By Christian Caryl of the Washington Post



We have a regrettable tendency to take authoritarian regimes at their word. Just think of that word "strongman". We almost always deploy it uncritically, and in doing so we play into the hands of the dictators. Strength is what they love to project. They spend huge amounts of time and energy assuring their citizens of their toughness and their machismo. And yet, as you can see in many a schoolyard, the preening bully is almost always trying to hide an underlying weakness. He doesn't get his power through respect or love or hard work — he gets it through fear. When the other kids stop being afraid, the bully immediately knows that his time is running out. He has two options: to change his ways — or to increase the scale of the violence he's willing to bring to bear. The catch with the second option, of course, is that it doesn't address the fundamental problem.



Which brings me to Russia, where prosecutors have just announced plans to withdraw parental rights from a couple who dared to bring their oneyear-old child to a political protest on July 27. That was also the day that Moscow police arrested 17-year-old Olga Misik, who had committed the unthinkable crime of - wait for it — reading aloud from the Russian constitution. A few days later, during another protest, the cops swooped down and detained a pro-government politician who was actually giving an interview defending a harsh government crackdown on demonstrators apparently assuming that anyone talking to the media must be a member of the opposition.



These three stories tell you all you need to know. The current Russian leadership might look strong. But it's actually running scared.



And it's easy to understand why. On this day, which marks the 20th anniversary of the day Vladimir Putin first came to power as Russia's acting prime minister, his country is struggling. The latest wave of unrest in Moscow, which was triggered by the city government's refusal to register opposition candidates for an upcoming election, is merely the latest episode in a longer story. Recent years have seen a steady rise in public discontent, though the causes don't always involve politics. In just the past few months, citizens have protested a waste dump, the construction of a cathedral and the redrawing of an administrative border. As the Carnegie Endowment's Andrey Pertsev recently noted, "Russians, once cowed by the potential consequences of taking to the streets, are increasingly willing to protest over nonpolitical and local issues."



Pertsev is right to note that there is a new fearlessness about these recent demonstrations that makes them remarkable. The extraordinarily brutal suppression of the Moscow protests on July 27 didn't prevent more demonstrators from taking to the streets in the days that followed.



The Financial Times notes that the real incomes of Russians have been steadily falling over the past six years, and are now 10% lower than they were in 2013 — the year before Putin annexed Crimea and went to war with Ukraine. Even if the economy grows a bit this year, many of Putin's compatriots, who live in one of the most unequal societies in the world, won't feel much benefit. Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin warned last month that the country could be heading for a recession if things don't change.



But "change" is precisely the problem. In two decades, the Putin regime has failed to deliver on urgently needed reforms. It has failed to diversify the economy beyond its natural-resource base. Corruption remains rampant. Business people and citizens can't rely on courts to deliver impartial justice. Politically well-connected oligarchs stifle competition and innovation.



One recent survey found that 44 percent of the country's young people would choose immigration if they had the chance. Small wonder that some Russians are comparing their president to Leonid Brezhnev. So we should expect increasingly brutal crackdowns on even the least significant protests. The big question: How much longer are Russians willing to be bullied?

I've worked in Russia. I have not been there in a while, but I know a bit about the country. The country is huge and regional disparities exist that affect the popularity of the president.The country is dependent on resource exports like Norway is. But, Norway's resource industries, like Canada's are state of the art and super efficient. Russian resource technology is far behind both countries.,



Now when I was in Russia, there was a feeling that nobody could hold the country together like Putin. Other than brainwashed Putinites, Russians know he has his faults. But, they don't see anyone else who can hold such a big diverse country together. A lot of people fear a return to the chaos of Boris Yeltsin if Putin was not in power. This editorial from WaPo is misleading, but what else would anyone expect from that rag.

[Anonymous]

I don't know much about Putin either. Other than he is a larger than life leader that Washington loves to hate.

[Odinson]

https://kuvaton.com/kuvei/vodka_usa_vs_russia.jpg">

[Anonymous]

I don't know much about Putin either. Other than he is a larger than life leader that Washington loves to hate.

 ac_dunno

[Odinson]

I know the sanctions arent working... Countries are going around them.



Germany for example thinks that she doesnt have to play by the same rules as the rest of us..







And that the average russian citizens come here to buy things as they have always done... And they are carrying 500 euro bills.

[Anonymous]

I know the sanctions arent working... Countries are going around them.



Germany for example thinks that she doesnt have to play by the same rules as the rest of us..







And that the average russian citizens come here to buy things as they have always done... And they are carrying 500 euro bills.

But, no sanctions on Saudi Arabia.

[Anonymous]

https://kuvaton.com/kuvei/vodka_usa_vs_russia.jpg">

 

[Gaon]

Putin's mission was to stop the subservience to the West and restore Russia's role as a strong independent voice on the world stage. He wanted Washington to treat Moscow with respect. And that means respecting Russia's interests. He identifies with Fyodor Dostoevsky and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Despite what an editorial in the Washington Post this still has broad support among Russians.He is seen as someone who keeps political and social stability.

[Anonymous]

Putin's mission was to stop the subservience to the West and restore Russia's role as a strong independent voice on the world stage. He wanted Washington to treat Moscow with respect. And that means respecting Russia's interests. He identifies with Fyodor Dostoevsky and Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Despite what an editorial in the Washington Post this still has broad support among Russians.He is seen as someone who keeps political and social stability.

Mr Putin has to put his nation's interests first..



And I believe such a large and diverse country is not always easy to govern.

[Gaon]

Putin has the same priorities today that he laid out at the beginning of his presidency in December 1999. His larger strategic goal is ensuring the defense of Russia's interests—which are tightly fused with, and now largely inseparable from, his own and his system's interests.

[Rotwang]

Putin frequently points to Western nations, particularly the US, and asks Russians "Is this what you want?"



That's how he stays in power. Nobody in Russia wants a society like the USA.



Neither would I.

[Gaon]

Putin frequently points to Western nations, particularly the US, and asks Russians "Is this what you want?"



That's how he stays in power. Nobody in Russia wants a society like the USA.



Neither would I.

America, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Sweden.

[Bricktop]

Yep.



And it is a compelling and persuasive argument.