WaPo Op-Ed: Vladimir Putin lays out a menacing choice for the West

[Mister Nightowl]

ANYONE WONDERING what Western leaders have been up against when they try to reason with Vladi­mir Putin need only read the transcript of the Russian ruler’s three-hour performance at the annual Valdai conference in Sochi on Friday. Mr. Putin was politely questioned by an assortment of Moscow-approved foreign journalists, scholars and former policymakers about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine — and out poured a poisonous mix of lies, conspiracy theories, thinly veiled threats of further aggression and, above all, seething resentment toward the United States.

“Having declared itself the winner of the Cold War,” the United States, with the help of “its satellites,” according to Mr. Putin, promoted a “unipolar world [that] is simply a means of justifying dictatorship over people and countries.” According to Mr. Putin, Washington has created chaos across the world by conspiring to foment revolutions, including what he views as an armed “coup d’etat” in Ukraine. Even worse, it believes “there is no need to take into account Russia’s views.”

Mr. Putin portrayed the invasion of Crimea as the corrective to this “imperialism.” “The bear will not even bother to ask permission,” he boasted. “Here we consider it master of the taiga, and .?.?. it will not let anyone have its taiga.” He made it clear that most of Ukraine is part of the “taiga” over which the Kremlin claims dominion — and Ukraine, he warned, “will certainly not be the last” “example of such sorts of conflicts that affect [the] international power balance.”

I always chuckle when people worry aloud about the "possibility" of another Cold War; in point of fact, CWII has been underway for nearly a decade.

[CJCRANE]

1. Well, he has a point about Libya, Syria and Iraq.

All of our recent interventions have just caused chaos and increased religious fundamentalism. And Joe Biden agreed with that analysis in his speech at Harvard (re.Syria).

I know it's an unpopular opinion on this board but I also think the neocon meddling in Ukraine helped cause the problem there.

Putin's domestic policies aren't relevant when talking about foreign policy not to mention that we are allies with more repressive regimes.

We do ourselves a disservive when we turn a blind to our disastrous foreign policy. And yes it would have been much worse under McCain or Romney.

[newfie11]

3. +1 nt

[newfie11]

2. Having grown up in the 50's/60's with the Cold War hype

Russia's no better or worse than we are. We have committed atrocities in other countries but you won't learn about that in school or the news media.

What's going on in the Ukraine is not for America to police. We have NATO for that.
I suspect we (America) have a hand in the disruption in Ukraine. It's not like we haven't done this to other countries.

How many countries has Putin invaded and how many countries have we invaded in the last 15 years?

This is MIC talk and sorry I'm not buying it.

[bemildred]

4. DC never handles criticism well. nt

[MBS]

5. Shudder

especially this:

Mr. Putin was politely questioned by an assortment of Moscow-approved foreign journalists, scholars and former policymakers about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine — and out poured a poisonous mix of lies, conspiracy theories, thinly veiled threats of further aggression and, above all, seething resentment toward the United States.

. . . .
Mr. Putin portrayed the invasion of Crimea as the corrective to this “imperialism.” “The bear will not even bother to ask permission,” he boasted. “Here we consider it master of the taiga, and .?.?. it will not let anyone have its taiga.” He made it clear that most of Ukraine is part of the “taiga” over which the Kremlin claims dominion — and Ukraine, he warned, “will certainly not be the last” “example of such sorts of conflicts that affect [the] international power balance.”

Other nations “at the intersection of major states’ geopolitical interests,” Mr. Putin said, could suffer from “internal instability,” leading to “a whole set of violent conflicts with either direct or indirect participation by the world’s major powers.” NATO’s Baltic members, as former republics of the Soviet Union, will no doubt pay particular attention to that prediction. . .
. . . Judging from his rhetoric, Mr. Putin is offering the West a choice between ceding Russia its “taiga” — including dominion over Ukraine and whatever other parts of Eurasia that Mr. Putin chooses to claim — and “a whole set of violent conflicts.” No wonder that German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has talked to the Russian ruler more than any other Western statesman, described him as “in another world.”