But, the believers – both the ‘worshipers’ and the ‘haters’ of Putin – the dwellers of the two opposing camps, are so engrossed in their own beliefs that they not only refuse to see the facts flying right in front of their eyes, they perform amazing gravity defying acrobatics to have the ‘desired’ view of Putin.
In our enthusiasm and zest of ‘compartmentalizing’ Putin, we end up either distorting the facts outright, or do let go the sense of balance in reporting. Since my two recent articles on the controversial and touchy subject of Putin: There is No One , Rasputin to Putin – Coming Full Circle, I have received a barrage of emails asking me clarify my position on Putin. They want to know where I stand on the ‘issue’ of Putin – Do I believe in him being the Savior, or do I stand with the camp that see Putin as The Evil.
In all its honesty, a writers or journalist’s job is to research, dissect, and analyze the relevant news and events, and, then, to present the analytical assessment to the readers – without tinting the analysis with personal opinion. The endeavor must remain objective, without any bias or prejudice on part of the writer.
Especially, in case of Putin, there are so many shadows and smoke screens blocking and distorting our views and perceptions. We are not dealing with a clear cut ‘black-and-white’ situation here- either to crown him the Saint-Savior or depict him an evil and tyrannical dictator.
Putin is a major player in a very complex and complicated global game of monopoly – you call it the Grand Chess, if you so please. Whatever one may claim, we are not privy to most of the pertinent facts and information to make a judgment call – even if it were the objective. The best we can do is to investigate, dissect, and analyze the actions taken by Putin and his government, and perform an objective analysis. And, present the findings – whatever they may be pointing to, to the readers to make their own mind. Covering the news, events, and facts on the both sides of the spectrum, and presenting a running analytical view , certainly helps to keep the balance’ in ‘reporting’.
Further to consider is the fact that Putin is not known for lending a helping hand to his critics and analysts. The Dude is not as ‘straight forward’ a guy as our Obama. He is a deep person – he is as much below ground as he is above it. His speeches, well thought and properly calibrated, don’t impart much beyond what is intended. Leaving much much to extreme extrapolation and pure honest-to-God conjecture.
To make the Putinologist’s ride – or, rather key strokes, a bit more bumpy, Putin seems to be quite keen on showing off his mastery of Judu and Chessmanship in his political career, too. His actions seems to be well calculated to create a state of confusion – many times they seems to be self contradicting to those who try to decipher and chart his course of actions.
Keeping a tab on Putin is an ongoing endeavor. We have to keep an eye on the emerging developments, watch for the new facts’ and information, and redo the process again to form a new and updated ‘view’ of Putin, and present it to the readers. On occasions – which is most of the times in case of Putin, it may seem like a bumpy ride, but, honestly, it is a lot better to have grip on the changing realities of the global politic rather than remain fixated on self induced images and false perceptions.
To reconstruct the “Putin” from the bits and pieces of available information, and from the history of his actions – or, rather, inactions, we collate and compile the data and facts for our readers to help them form a balanced view of Putin, and see Putin from the two different angles – A nationalist and a Orthodox Christian Savior on one side, and a cunning collaborator – a tyrant, on the other side.
The Emergence and The Rise
Little is known about the ancestral background of Putin beyond his grandfather, Spiridon Ivanovich Putin who was a chef and cooked for both Lenin and Stalin. His father, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, served in the Soviet navy and army during WWII. some claim that the name “Putin” didn’t even exit in Russia until the emergence of the Grandpa Putin. Also, many Putonologists point to his resemblance to Rasputin! To some, it is enough to raise him to the Sainthood, while to others, it is the mark of Evil.
As for tracing Putin’s early years, Putin studied law at the Leningrad State University and, after graduating, joined the KGB where he rose to the rank of lieutenant Colonel.
His intelligence background was in the area of foreign intelligence. He is known to have no appetite for the stage or for a public office.
Still, after the breakup of the Soviet Union, he rose fast within the Russian governmental hierarchy.
During the short period of 1994 to 1999, he rose from the position of
First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the city of Saint Peterspurg
to the position of the Prime Minister of Russia. On December 31, the
deranged and alcoholic president Boris Yeltsin announced his
resignation, clearing the way for Putin’s ascension to the presidency. The Collaborating Tyrant
Many Putinologists have pointed to Putin’s history of consistent collaboration with the West, specifically on the event of 9-11.Putin is on record stating that he had ordered his intelligence agencies to alert the US in the summer of 2001 that suicide pilots were training for attacks on US targets. The fact is certainly undeniable that he knew what really had happened. And, yet, he supported the US official line pertaining to the tyranny of 2001.
Putin’s hands are not clean even on the Afghanistan front. He had opened the Russian airspace and provided the logistical support to US to facilitate the entire operation – from the invasion of Afghanistan to continued occupation of that pure country.
On the Iranian front, Putin’s decision to abide by the ‘UN Sanctions’, and to terminate its contractual obligations to supply the SAM 300 air defense system to Iran is also a big black question mark on him. He continued with same policy with Syria by canceling the promised delivery of SAMs under the pressure from Israel.
A large number of Putinologists who still want to believe in Putin’s sainthood , are getting more and more frustrated with the way Russian state controlled media reports the news and projects the events – as if it is in close contact and collaboration with its western counterparts.
A case in point was Charlie Hebdu, recognized by most independent analysts and writers a False Flag operation – Russia Today’s presentation of the events was exactly the same as the western MSM – Terrorist attack on the ‘Freedom of Speech’.
And, of course, the Freedom of Speech – ala Charlie Hebdu, means publishing some very obnoxious cartoons offending the Virgin and Christ – including cartoons showing Jesus and God sodomizing each other – Forget the Mohammed!
Putin was among the first leaders to personally convey his condolences to French President Hollande. He condemned the barbaric action and asked Hollande to “convey a feeling of profound compassion and words of support to the families of dead”!
It is difficult to argue with the Putinologists who insist that it is not the character of one who profess to be the leader of an Orthodox Christian nation.
Putinologists believing in Putin’s ‘Devilhood’ further point to the drama following the murder of Boris Nemtsov. Putin’s security forces quickly identified and apprehended the culprits – Surprise, surprise; they were some Muslims from Chechnya who allegedly desired to punish the politician for his Je suis Charlie position!
And, as Israel Shamir pointed out,“Muslim extremists” are patsies nobody can reasonably object to. If they killed cartoonists in Paris and dropped the Towers in New York, they could kill a minor politician in Moscow. Putin has proven to be the master of finding the easy way out strategies.
The Saint-Savior of Humanity
Putin’s extremely high approval rating and popularity among the common Russian is not without merits. During his tenure, Russians have enjoyed a consistent rise in their standard of living. Probably the very first time in recent history, Russians feel proud and confident of themselves. There is growing sense of national pride, and hope for the future. And, the credit goes to the policies implemented by Putin.As we have discussed before, Putin inherited an unprecedented and gargantuan economic mess from Yeltsin. He first had to deal with the massive corruption within the government, then he had to deal with the plundering oligarchs who had stripped Russia of all its wealth and resources.
These agents of The Empire – the Atlantic integrationists oligarchs of Russia, still have their interests aligned with the West – Russia was there for them to plunder and loot – Their ultimate assignment has been to facilitate the further balkanization of the Russian Federation – and put all those breakaway regions under the yoke of The Empire.
Those objective would have long been achieved – But, for the Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. To most Russians, Putin is a Russian Hero – Saint or not, but, certainly a Savior.
Putin has, at least on the surface, become a thorn in the eyes of The Empire. He has become an obstacle in path of the western empire and has thwarted many of its plans to decimate and devour the world. If it were not for Putin, Iran and Syria would have long gone the way of Afghanistan and Libya.
Putin is a key figure, if not the central figure, in the struggle of humanity to get rid of the hegemony and blasphemy of dollar. At this stage in the global game, Russian backing and support is crucial for the Chinese while they are still playing the catch-up game in the high-tech warfare.
Whatever the facts and truth may be, but, at this point of time in the history of human kind, Putin is certainly playing the role of a Saint-Savior.
On The Balance
Putin is a complex personality. He is, of course, KGB – not that it means any thing as for as ‘compartmentalization’ is concerned. He has deep rooted connections and a support network to which he owes his loyalty. Above all, he is just a shrewd and capable politician who wants to see a strong and independent Russia. He is well composed, rational, articulate, and, apparently, unlike his counterparts in the West, seems to have a functioning brain – A pleasant change and a relief to the jittery nerves of concerned dwellers of the world.In reality, Putin, unlike his name’s sake, Rasputin, is no monk or saint. Rather than being an austere man, he enjoys a life of indulgence. Rather than being the hunted one, he is more apt to be a hunter – quite a capable killer himself. His feet are deeply rooted in the ground. Coming from the world of covert operations himself, he is no stranger to sabotages, assassinations, and coups.
Putin, like most of Russians, is still trying to recover from the ‘glamor shock’ of the western capitalism. Until recently, he had been trying hard to get ‘accepted’ by the western ‘elites’ – to whom he still keeps on referring to as his ‘partners and colleagues’. He had been taking insult upon insult – from the Sochi Olympics to the G20 meeting in Australia, and, still, kept on trying to belong. He showed up in the gatherings of the political power elites in the hope that one day he would be accepted as ‘One of The Family’ – But, whatever he did to please the ‘Elites’ was not enough.
Now, the West’s misadventure in Ukraine – Russia’s declared red line, and the barrage of crippling sanctions against Russia has forced him to change, reluctantly though. The economic warfare did become a game changer. Putin, it seems, reluctantly and unwillingly, has been forced to turn eastward and align itself with China. Putin recognizes that it is the matter of survival for Russia as a unified and independent nation.
Putin, as Israel Shamir has quoted, is a non-confrontational bloke whose great ambition is to live in peace and harmony with the West while defending Russia’s vital interests, and observing interests of Russian billionaires. He also wants to be accepted as an equal among the world’s great, East and West.
Putin is no idealist and no saint, he is just a realist and a practical person whose objective is to protect his own people and his own turf – The Russian billionaires club is his turf, and, the billionaires are his first people – But, the Russia and the Russian people are the close second. Still, in comparison the public in the west -where they are just counted as mere chattel, it is good enough for Russian people.
Putin is the president of Russia, and, so far, has served the interest of his people better than any one in the west can be credited with. In comparison to the clowns and turkeys in the West, he certainly qualifies to be called a world class leader – a statesman. But, as a matter of fact, he is not a Saint nor an Evil – certainly not the Savior of Humanity.
Above all, at this juncture, he is the token of hope to the humanity suffering from the onslaught of the Empire. And, he is a tough cookie for The Empire to chew to on.
As for saving the humanity, you have to assume the responsibility and take charge of your own affairs. No savior is going to come to save you – There is No One!
http://viewsandpreviews.com/what-is-up-with-putin/
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