President Vladmir Putin

[Salamuddin]

Just wondering what people's opinions are of Vladimir Putin (the ex Colonel in the Komitet Gorsdarsvennoy Bezopastnosti (KGB)) and now President of Mother Russia

[pasag]

For me the worst person in world politics atm. Slimey, corrupt, evil. He's pretty much a **** and needs to go ASAP if Russia ever plans on being successful in any way.

[_Ed_]

Quite a coincidence that his outspoken critics are being poisoned. Quite a coincidence indeed.

[lord_of_darkness]

its funny how the world doesnt even seem to focussing on russia either.

[Matteh]

Originally Posted by lord_of_darkness

its funny how the world doesnt even seem to focussing on russia either.

Other members of the G8 aren't going to slag off on of their own.

[PY]

He's appearing to take Russia from a fragile democracy to a dictatorship which can't be good.

One thing to keep in mind though is the fact that the Russian Mafia are close to being the best funded organised crime unit on the planet and I'm not sure if he's 'in bed' with them or he's trying to fight them but if the latter, that can't be easy.

[Matt79]

I think its a case of render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and nobody get hurts. ie. I don't think he's in bed with them in the sense that they exert any control over him, but he's made it clear that the price of continued business is that they don't tread on his toes, make him look bad, and should make contributions to the right political causes... He almost certainly is corrupt to some extent, although the worst excesses of the Yeltsin years look to have been reined in.

Its hard to know, Russia probably needed a strong hand at the helm if it wasn't going completely degenerate into an Africa/South Pacific kleptocracy and third world status. Putin, with the help of the oil boom, has certainly avoided that fate, and has appeared to produce some measure of stability, predictability, and improvement in living standards. Unless you know for certain what the alternative would have been, its not wise to undervalue that, if for no other reason that Russia possesses enough WMDs to make North Korea and Iran look like a bunch of kids play acting, and if things get bad enough, those weapons are going to find their way out of any sensible control and would thus be likely to be used. That said, Russia is still facing a demographic challenge - they're population is set to shrink by one quarter over the next 20 years, and has a life expectancy more akin to Africa than Europe or Asia, which is still decreasing. And Putin has efficiently killed of genuine democracy and replaced it with his brand of controlled democracy.

[C_C]

I agree mostly with Matt79's ideas. I for one, often swing between frustration and admiration towards Putin depending on what actions of his i hear. The guy is good in so many ways but terrible in so many others. Ofcourse, he is hyped up a bit in the anglophone media in the negetive sense because he has effectively ensured that Russia will continue to have a strong global presence and not become the effective female dog of the US-UK axis as many wanted it to be ( with its free-falling economy being a potential gateway for western investment and thus control over Russian economy). I admire him in that respect. His autocratic hand is something i dont like but i think its necessary in the Russian scheme of things- too often people forget how it 'works for them' - they just came out of effective dictatorship for hundreds of years (communist dictators = dictatorial powersof the Tzars) and have no concept of effective free democracy. Its different in here-they have about 150 years of gradual democratization of the government in the anglophone world. Totally different 'world perception' and they perhaps need a couple of 'decent autocrats' in the way to bring effective nation building with democracy.

Overall, i'd say i am definately far more pro-Putin than pro-Bush.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by _Ed_

Quite a coincidence that his outspoken critics are being poisoned. Quite a coincidence indeed.

Indeed it is - watch your back pasag!!!

[pasag]

*slowly puts down glass of water*

[silentstriker]

He murders newspaper columnists that write articles against him. The man is a dictator, pure and simple.

But he wins some points with me because he actually claimed with a straight face that the former spy poisoned himself with radiation. You know, the kind that slowly causes organ failure, attacks the immune system and causes a very painful death.

Oh, and is not exactly available at the corner drug store.

[C_C]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

He murders newspaper columnists that write articles against him. The man is a dictator, pure and simple.

But he wins some points with me because he actually claimed with a straight face that the former spy poisoned himself with radiation. You know, the kind that slowly causes organ failure, attacks the immune system and causes a very painful death.

Oh, and is not exactly available at the corner drug store.

Look, if there is one axiom to politics that the cold war taught is that don't form hard opinions based on face-value media coverage. There are plots, subplots, counter-plots, counter-counter plots, etc in place when it comes to these kind of international leverage.
Putin could very well be poisoning his outspoken critics. Or someone/some organisation is finding this a 'good way' to 'box Putin a bit'. Both very easily possible.Ultimately, the fact is, when it comes to Russia, we know far less than what we don't know. Its just not a very transparent country in these matters- doesnt make it inherently bad though- lack of transparency to the outside world doesnt necessarily equate to a bad or malevolent government.
So far, Putin's done very well to hold Russia together and solidify its crumbling frameworks that holds a nation together.

[Matteh]

Originally Posted by silentstriker

Oh, and is not exactly available at the corner drug store.

I heard Chernobyl's corner drug store has a plentiful supply.

[Langeveldt]

He's not bad as far as Russian leaders go.. No great leader and Russia is none the better for him though

[cpr]

Originally Posted by C_C

Look, if there is one axiom to politics that the cold war taught is that don't form hard opinions based on face-value media coverage.

How about on previous record, Georgi Markov anyone