Putin to the USA: Back Off!
The gathering started off with a “hug fest” between Putin and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, of Iran. America was hoping that Putin could talk some sense into Ahmadinejad regarding his nuclear program and Iran’s continued aggression in the area. Instead we witnessed the dictator’s edition of “Dancing with the Stars” .
President Putin assured Iran that he would not support any military action against his “newest, best friend,” by encouraging the other nations in attendance to sign a non-aggression treaty:
"It is important that we do not even think about the possibility of using force," Mr. Putin told the summit before signing a non-aggression declaration, which was also backed by Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
It just goes to show that “you can take the boy out of the KGB, but you can’t take the KGB out of the boy.” Putin is a die hard loyalist, devoted to the restoration of the USSR, not as a democracy, but to its former glory as a totalitarian state. The difference this time is that Russia, like China, will use capitalist principals to their advantage. The Russian people will enjoy the trappings of a strong, somewhat open economy, without all the hassles of individual rights and freedoms.
Putin: From Friend to Tyrant
Queue the music, because the Evil Empire (and I don’t mean the NY Yankees) has returned. That is not to say that it ever went away. Russia struggled to “find its identity” after the fall of communism (thank-you President Reagan, Prime Minister Thatcher, Pope John Paul, the Polish People, and the US Military). Putin took the reins a decade later when the former Russian Navy was rusting away in Baltic ports, gangsters pushing drugs and prostitution controlled Moscow, and many Russians were unemployed. Putin used Russia's vast natural resources to build an economy never before seen in Russia, and used his KGB experience to attack the criminals, and occasionally rounding up a few dissents along the way.
Does all of this sound familiar? It should, because except for the names, it is analogous of the factors that led to the rise of the Third Reich:
Lose of National Pride. A once mighty nation reduced to being the laughing stock of the World. Especially by the “holier than thou” Western Nations,” who couldn’t help but gloat.
High Unemployment/Poor Economy. Unhappy people, who are not working, aren’t making money. People not making money can’t pay taxes. Without taxes the infrastructure of a country collapses, governments lose strength. A weak government can’t help their people, further making them unhappy.
Crime and Moral Decay. Crime feeds into National Pride. Great ballet companies and gold medal Olympians were replaced by crime lords, prostitutes and drug addicts.
A strong leader can use all these factors to their advantage, and that is exactly what Hitler did, and that is what we are now witnessing from Putin. I am not saying that Putin is the next Hitler. I am saying that Putin is using many of the same methods Hitler used to restore National Pride, all the while consolidating power.
Putin once lived in a Russia that was a superpower, a country that did not have to answer to anyone, even America. This type of demises is not easy to swallow, and tends to stick in your throat for a long time. Putin is using time tested methods, as well as new found wealth to re-establish the glory of the USSR:
Russia: A New Found Strength
Putin’s smile and charm are a masquerade being used to hide the true intent of an ardent nationalist. Putin is trying to seduce everyone (not just America and Iran), in the hopes that we remain asleep at the wheel, only to suddenly wake up to a Russia reminiscent of the land of Stalin, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev. But what else would you expect from a person who reportedly stole the 2005 New England Patriots Superbowl Championship Ring (Oh, So Shiny) from the finger of their owner, Bob Kraft.
The return of Russia to Superpower status, where both the USA and Russia could also be joined by China (and possibly India), is looming in the not so distance future. A strong United States has always been in the best interest of the world, but the arrival of “oppressive” nations (this would exclude India) to Superpower status would return us to the days of the Cold War. Only this time I wonder if the United States would have the resolve to win, let alone participate.
"Let us beware that while they [Soviet rulers] preach the supremacy of the state, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination over all the peoples of the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.... I urge you to beware the temptation ..., to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of any evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil." - Ronald Reagan
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