Is Vladimir Putin really bad?

[Cristar Mymine]

I'm trying to gain up on knowledge about Russia's move towards liberal society and its eventual move back towards old despotism...

Why did Bush call him a good man if he was so bad???

Back when Vladimir Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin as president of Russia a few years ago, American observers and commentators were broadly agreed that it was bad news. Putin, after all, had been a career officer in the KGB, rising to the rank of colonel, and had been sent to East Germany to do his masters' evil bidding there. What reason was there to hope that he would help Russia find its way to greater freedom?

Since then, Putin's record has been, from a Western standpoint, distinctly uneven. For a time he seemed to be encouraging a freer economy, but his ruthless suppression of the business oligarchs who took over huge swaths of Russian industry made observers wonder whether he was really a friend of free enterprise or just consolidating his own hold on power. The Russian media are generally pretty free, but instances of what seems like governmental persecution aren't hard to find. There is a functioning parliament, with highly vocal opposition parties, but Putin has moved aggressively to put the provincial governors under his thumb. Is this a performance we can endorse?

Full article here

 

[nittie]

Bush called him a good man because he thought Putin would be obedient. When he didn't follow orders and go along with the status quo he became a despot in the West's eyes. The issue is about perceptions and power to shape them. As long as America can give marching orders everything is cool but when people start doing things their way then there's a problem.

 

[lerri]

I'm trying to gain up on knowledge about Russia's move towards liberal society and its eventual move back towards old despotism...

Why did Bush call him a good man if he was so bad???



Full article here

as far as bush saying he's a good man and i get a sense of his soul.that was a huge miscalculation on his behalf........you got remember putin (EX KGB ELITE) had stated that the breakup of the soviet union was the greatest geopolitical mishap ever in world human history........when putin took on leadership in the russian federation after boris yeltsin.his main goal was to get russia back on it's feet.and so far he has live up to that challenge........but make NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT VLADIMIR PUTIN was never no pet of the whitehouse or the the west in general unlike his predessor BORIS YELTSIN.....VLADIMIR PUTIN is for russia the sovergn state,the people and there region of influence and the best interest of russia society by whatever mean's neccessary .whether he have to take on new or old political and economical reform's.............HOPE THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION.

 

[Cristar Mymine]

Would the U.S. ever dare go to war with Russia?

 

[nittie]

yeah when we con them into giving up their nukes it's over for them.

 

[lerri]

yeah when we con them into giving up their nukes it's over for them.

yeah... if they and when they..... that's a big if.....if russia totally abandon their nukes then its all she wrote for russia ever existing again.because the united states would do a suprise preemptive nuclear strike on russian citie's with in a matter of hour's maybe less.but the united states kind of got a hard sale to do with russia in that regard's.because of the nato/eu eastward expansion that the united states pledge it wouldn't do after the breakup of the soviet union.the united states in there wildest dreams couldn't dare think of doing a preemptive strike on russia right now as it stand's.because the current russian nukes/icbm's posed a great danger to the security of the whole eu but partically britian,germany and france.and they know if the us get that foolish the whole eu/nato in europe would be turn into a radioactive parking lot and into straight ashes within a matter of hours or less.

 

[QueEx]

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See, Bush Looked Into Putin's Eyes

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[kuzdeen]

Vladmir bottom line is KGB ..ice water in his veins ..Dubya was buggin with that statement about looking into his eyes/soul, Vladmir is from the old days like them neo-cons - Democracy served on the platter at the barrel of a gun! This type of cats dont change..

 

[QueEx]

 

[SPECTRE1]

He was talking about developing new nuke technology to defeat missle defense system.

You don't need Nukes anymore-it is overkill to radiate an entire country, there is GPS/Laser guided missles that can blow up a target within a couple of feet. Nukes were needed before advance weapon system the US and other countries have today.

For example, suppose Iraq had smart weaponary that could knock out nuclear energy sites, damns,factories, sky scrappers, refiners, historic sites like the Capital, WH, Pentagon in the US. It would be enough of a deterrent to stop war using a rain of targeted bombs on another country. North Korea is using its ability to level Seoul to prevent conflict.

Another country would have second thoughts about launching a strike if they had this capability instead of nukes. Nukes are useless against Al-Qaida if they struck with a nuclear bombs, a ban on nukes would limit the abilty of Al-Qaida to acquire highly enriched fuel for a bomb.

 

[malaki]

Russians like the guy because he shut the oligarchs down, and they were absolutely destroying Russia.

Shit we need our own Putin to clean this joint up

 

[QueEx]

North Korea is using its ability to level Seoul to prevent conflict.

<center>* * *</center>

a ban on nukes would limit the abilty of Al-Qaida to acquire highly enriched fuel for a bomb.

? ? ?


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[TheIntelCritic]

Putin is a problem and he needs to be dealt with. I'm tired of Russia's instigations on the world stage. We are fighting a proxy war with them right now through Iran's nonsense as we back Israel.

America isn't perfect, but I know one thing, as long as we're running shit, the world is relatively safe as opposed to these crazy mofo's bent on world domination.

 

[Cristar Mymine]

Putin is a problem and he needs to be dealt with. I'm tired of Russia's instigations on the world stage. We are fighting a proxy war with them right now through Iran's nonsense as we back Israel.

America isn't perfect, but I know one thing, as long as we're running shit, the world is relatively safe as opposed to these crazy mofo's bent on world domination.

What is this proxy war you speak of?

 

[Cristar Mymine]

Why was it so important for the U.S. to erradicate the Soviets in Afghanistan, anyway?

 

[lerri]

Why was it so important for the U.S. to erradicate the Soviets in Afghanistan, anyway?

for geopolitical reasons and overall world power structure.

 

[Cristar Mymine]

for geopolitical reasons and overall world power structure.

So were the soviets ever a REAL threat to the U.S.? Was Russia threatening to wipe the U.S. out of existence?

 

[lerri]

So were the soviets ever a REAL threat to the U.S.? Was Russia threatening to wipe the U.S. out of existence?

see you gotta look at it like this.after world war 2.the british empire ceased to being a world power.there were only two powers in the world after world war 2 the UNITED STATES and the UNION OF THE SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS(USSR).they were a treat in a sense of world domination goals set by the united states.both of them had incidents like suez canal back in 1967 the cuban missile crisis back in 1962.that almost bought both to the path of brinkmanship.but ever since the break up of the soviet union.the united states has tooken on the role of single sole superpower.and now in this present day of the financial crisis CHINA is set to overtake the US as sole superpower