The Cult of Vladimir Putin Meets the Real World

[Purveyor]

World Wrestling Entertainment’s Lana (C.J. Perry), manager of the “Bulgarian Brute” Alexander Rusev (Miroslav Barnyashev) heaps praise on Russia’s president and she seems to be right: Russians love themselves some Vladimir Putin.

Gallup reported on July 18 that “President Vladimir Putin’s popularity in Russia is now at its highest level in years.”

The 29-percentage-point increase in Putin’s job approval between 2013 and 2014 suggests he has solidified his previously shaky support base. For the first time since 2008, a majority of Russians (73%) believe their country’s leadership is leading them in the right direction. This renewed faith is apparent in their record-level confidence in the country’s military (78%), their national government (64%), and honesty of elections (39%).

What Gallup tells us echoes closely the rhetoric of Lana, who has called Putin “a true leader who practices what he preaches” and “the most powerful and dominant president in the world.”

“He makes fools out of every one of you,” she tells audiences. When she brags, “You are merely pawns in his game of global dominance,” it is easy to believe Putin thinks the same.

She warns audiences, “America, change your ways and follow this true leader. He is a nation builder and long ago should have won the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Nobel Peace Prize…probably not. The rest of the world was happy to see Barack Obama when he took office. Putin, like Bush, is the kind of guy who makes his neighbors nervous. We can’t call it Cowboy Diplomacy but can we perhaps call it Cossack?

Russia under Putin is, for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, flexing its muscles. Some might point to the fact that the United States has also recently been flexing its muscles, having just ended one war in Iraq and finishing up (we hope) another in Afghanistan.

In a way, it’s hard to blame Vladimir Putin for thinking he should be able to do what George W. Bush did, and much closer to home. It is difficult to argue that the United States had more vested interest in Iraq than Russia does in its own backyard.

more...

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/07/19/cult-vladimir-putin-meets-real-world.html

[Igel]

2. Russia is flexing it's muscles for the first time?

Transdniestria.

The first Abkhazian war.

The second Abkhazian war and "independence."

S. Ossetia.

Chechen war I.

Chechen war II.

Not always under Putin, but the worst and bloodiest were very much under Putin. And many of the actors were the same.

The guy in Donets'k, former FSB? He was in Transdniestria. He helped with Crimea. He was there for the second Chechen war, the one that flattened Grozyi, and was on record saying he was all down with massive artillery and aerial bombardment of residential neighborhoods if it saved even one Russian soldier's life and killed "Wahhabis." Separatism was evil--if it was from Russia. (Now it's only moral for hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers to die to save the life of a Russian civilian. And separatism is a moral right, if not obligation--when it leads to annexation to Russia.)

There was a blockade of Latvia, I believe it was. Poland criticized Russia at one point; the following week there were dozens of instances of Poles in Belarus beaten, houses burned down, etc.

There are numerous instances of natural-gas "diplomacy." Undercover ops, like what happened to Yushchenko.

We argue against *. We justify Putin. What we do in Cuba is horrible--even in one's backyard, as a matter of principle, countries ought to be free and independent. Well, then again, who can argue against Russia's right to meddle in its backyard, it has "legitimate political and economic interests."

[geek tragedy]

3. assuming this was before Russia's military auxillaries murdered 300 people in a jet airliner.

We'll see how that processes in Russia.,

[Purveyor]

6. Should the 'west' continue to attack Vlad, without a doubt this will only

solidify his support.

Hell, remember how 'our people' rallied around Bush Jr. with the illegal invasion of Iraq.

Has anyone been held accountable for THAT war crime?

[geek tragedy]

8. Vlad is a dictator who assassinates and imprisons

those who defy him. He will be King as long as he lives.

[MisterP]

4. Eurasians have a personality cult, us Oceanians have leaders who are genuinely

omniscient and omnipotent!

[tabasco]

5. Yes, I never see Western leaders criticized and condemned

Good point!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. "Patriotism is the most foolish of passions and the passion of fools." Schopenhauer

And, sadly, it's not limited to Russians.

[moondust]

9. I don't get it.

I hear "experts" on the teevee saying Russia is corrupt as hell and a lot of the loot is being invested in western Europe (which partly explains Europe's reluctance to get too tough with sanctions). And Putin is building himself a billion-dollar mansion on the Black Sea. And he blew $50 billion on the Olympics. I can't imagine average Russians have it real good.

Is their nationalistic longing for good old Superpower status enough to move those polls like that?