Vladimir Putin

[Fisherking]

Accurate sketch or western propaganda?

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26769481


Some see him as a principled counter to the west. Does he have principals?

[rvg]

He is first and foremost a thief and has been that way for at least a decade.

[Sarmatian]

Ok, we can close the thread. rvg has spoken and his arguments are flawless.

[rvg]

Ok, we can close the thread. rvg has spoken and his arguments are flawless.

The padawan is finally learning not to question the master. Good, very good.

[Beskar]

This is still my favourite.

Time Headline across the world - September 16th

[Kadagar_AV]

He is first and foremost a thief and has been that way for at least a decade.

Let me guess, you didn't read a word and just jumped to your echo chamber conclusions. Fox News is proud of you.





Regardless, I think the article did its best to be objective. I especially liked the part about how again and again people mistakenly look for depth, lies and hidden agendas when he talks, when in fact history has shown that he should be taken at face value.

What you hear is what he say.

That's just so... unpoliticianish.

[Ironside]

His closest American equivalence seems to be the neocon.

Low focus on international respect of laws. Low focus on economics (this is going to hurt Russia hard economically). High focus on macho manliness. High focus on national supremacy.

[Sarmatian]

The article itself, while interesting, doesn't bring anything new for discussion.

Since 1999, we've been hearing about imminent collapse of Russian economy, mass protest against his dictatorship that will happen any day now, serious consequences of military actions, isolation on world stage...

After 15 years, it hasn't happened. "Experts" might wanna rethink their statements, especially when comparing SU and Russian Federation.

Ironically, his approval rating was lowest since 1999 and than Ukraine crisis propelled him up in the comfortable 60-70%...

[Montmorency]

Well, maybe that's because Russia's ills are more chronic than progressive.

The problem with Russia, more even than pure demographics or economic in-diversity is that it's so fragmented. Without authoritarian leadership, Russia simply could not remain a unified country - and it's not just a matter of bits here and there from the South and East. It's a Catch-22: better transport infrastructure and stronger civic institutions would foster more national unity than opportunistic jingoism and an iron fist, but those take time to develop, and in that time and by their very nature, they would break Russia apart. To put it another way, it's sort of like the dilemma faced by Gorbachev.

But the United States kind of doesn't want Russia to totally dissolve, for obvious reasons. So get comfortable with the back-and-forth, with or without Putin.

[HoreTore]

He is first and foremost a thief and has been that way for at least a decade.

I'd say at least two decades.

I find it highly unlikely that he wasn't stealing stuff right, left and center before he came to power. It is, after all, the Russian Way(tm).

[Kadagar_AV]

I'd say at least two decades.

I find it highly unlikely that he wasn't stealing stuff right, left and center before he came to power. It is, after all, the Russian Way(tm).

Blatant racism. I absolutely LOVE it, welcome to the fold HT.

Anyway, I don't think Putin is in a position to look for monetary gains. Nor was he when he gained office.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Putin's financial records are probably not lily white but thing they are probably considerably whiter than those of his rivals. Avarice is not really a particularly glaring weakness of his (at least not when compared to your garden variety politician, say a British MP). More importantly as someone with ties to the FSB he knows about the vices of his would be rivals and the closets they use for skeleton storage, since his would be rivals pay the FSB and civil servants protection money to keep the government from meddling in their affairs.

[HoreTore]

Blatant racism. I absolutely LOVE it, welcome to the fold HT.

I fail to see how pointing at how Russian officials are corrupt is racism.

Anyway, I don't think Putin is in a position to look for monetary gains. Nor was he when he gained office.

Yeah, I'm sure he made himself a billionaire to support the needy children.

[rvg]

I fail to see how pointing at how Russian officials are corrupt is racism.

One Russian historian (Nicholas Karamzin) back in the late 18th century went on a trip to Europe. In France which had a Russian expat community he was asked what was going on in Russia. He answered: "Theft."

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

My favorite president (politics aside, of course) has some paintings that Putin ought to check out.

George W Bush paintings on display http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26890910

Those are actually pretty cool and quite sharply observed.

[HopAlongBunny]

I don't much care for Bush jr.
It might not be him personally, but he headed (was figurehead) for the worst exploitation of the "politics of fear". I have no respect for that...ever.

[Husar]

I prefer Hitler's paintings, they also look better.

http://www.socialphy.com/posts/art/8...Paintings.html

Of course I also admire his intelligence, wit, humor and how he had this realistic self-image and stayed down-to-earth-genuine in his ways.
Just too bad that he was later blamed for starting a war when he was merely trying to stem the tides as the head of a genuinely evil administration that really thought it was doing the right thing though...

[Greyblades]

I prefer Hitler's paintings, they also look better.

http://www.socialphy.com/posts/art/8...Paintings.html

...vienna's fine arts academy rejected that? Jesus what did you need to do to get in, fully depict each ass hair of every rat in the gutters of a 30 ft square depiction of the entire florentine skyline?

Of course I also admire his intelligence, wit, humor and how he had this realistic self-image and stayed down-to-earth-genuine in his ways.
Just too bad that he was later blamed for starting a war when he was merely trying to stem the tides as the head of a genuinely evil administration that really thought it was doing the right thing though...

Should have mentioned the drugs, nothing pushes up a hitler sympathy diatribe better than noting the coctail of mind altering drugs hitler's doctors used to keep him "healthy".

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

...vienna's fine arts academy rejected that? Jesus what did you need to do to get in, fully depict each ass hair of every rat in the gutters of a 30 ft square depiction of the entire florentine skyline?


Should have mentioned the drugs, nothing pushes up a hitler sympathy diatribe better than noting the coctail of mind altering drugs hitler's doctors used to keep him "healthy".

If I recall, they said he was technically competent, but lacking individual style - they felt his work was merely derivative. According to his grandchildren, he used to go on big rants about how rubbish the impressionist masters were.

[HoreTore]

...vienna's fine arts academy rejected that? Jesus what did you need to do to get in, fully depict each ass hair of every rat in the gutters of a 30 ft square depiction of the entire florentine skyline?

Take a look at the proportions(which is what an art academy cares about).

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Hell, his dad was even cooler. Bush Sr. was everything from a ww2 fighter pilot to the architect of illegal and frankly immoral covert wars in South America as head of the CIA before being president.

I thought 41 flew Avengers. Oh well, neither here nor there. He was the then youngest ever navy pilot; did head the CIA, also served as our inaugural ambassador to the PRC.

[Brenus]

I think it was a Wild Cat (F4F), on show at the Museum at Washington DC.

[Husar]

Wiki says Seamus wins:

After Bush's promotion to Lieutenant (junior grade) on August 1, 1944, the San Jacinto commenced operations against the Japanese in the Bonin Islands. Bush piloted one of four Grumman TBM Avenger aircraft from VT-51 that attacked the Japanese installations on Chichijima.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_...h#World_War_II

[gaelic cowboy]

I think its telling that he was effectively a minor officer posted to east gernmany.

Thinks he can rerun the soviet times with a differing result.

I would say that Russia will collapse sometime around middle of century if Purin keeps on the way he is going.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I think its telling that he was effectively a minor officer posted to east gernmany.

Thinks he can rerun the soviet times with a differing result.

I would say that Russia will collapse sometime around middle of century if Purin keeps on the way he is going.

He wants to be the person in charge of Russia (Check).

He wants Russia to be thought of, treated as, and respected for being a world power (in progress).

Identity is the most powerful of needs.

[Husar]

I've always liked the idea of Russia joining NATO, and about four or five years ago I thought the US made a mistake in refusing Russian help in Afghanistan, but these days its looking like Russia wants more than to be anybody's partner.

I think Russia wants to be recognized. The West often ignores Russia entirely unless it's inevitable to recognize it. And when Russia is mentioned, it's usually in a negative way, like they're standing in the way of our holy invasion or bombing campaign.