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How to Think About Vladimir Putin
Imprimis, Hillsdale College ^ | March 2017 | Christopher Caldwell

Posted on 04/02/2017 5:19:42 AM PDT by Navy Patriot

Vladimir Putin is a powerful ideological symbol and a highly effective ideological litmus test. He is a hero to populist conservatives around the world and anathema to progressives. I don’t want to compare him to our own president, but if you know enough about what a given American thinks of Putin, you can probably tell what he thinks of Donald Trump.

Let me stress at the outset that this is not going to be a talk about what to think about Putin, which is something you are all capable of making up your minds on, but rather how to think about him. And on this, there is one basic truth to remember, although it is often forgotten. Our globalist leaders may have deprecated sovereignty since the end of the Cold War, but that does not mean it has ceased for an instant to be the primary subject of politics.

Vladimir Vladimirovich is not the president of a feminist NGO. He is not a transgender-rights activist. He is not an ombudsman appointed by the United Nations to make and deliver slide shows about green energy. He is the elected leader of Russia—a rugged, relatively poor, militarily powerful country that in recent years has been frequently humiliated, robbed, and misled. His job has been to protect his country’s prerogatives and its sovereignty in an international system that seeks to erode sovereignty in general and views Russia’s sovereignty in particular as a threat.

(Excerpt) Read more at imprimis.hillsdale.edu ...


TOPICS: Education; History
KEYWORDS: hillsdale; putin
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Interesting.
1 posted on 04/02/2017 5:19:42 AM PDT by Navy Patriot
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To: Navy Patriot

Putin’s primary task is to keep Mother Russia from dying


2 posted on 04/02/2017 5:21:58 AM PDT by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... Hillary is Ameritrash, pass it on)
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To: Navy Patriot

http://www.unz.com/pbuchanan/is-putin-the-preeminent-statesman-of-our-times/


3 posted on 04/02/2017 5:26:48 AM PDT by Bogie
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To: Navy Patriot

http://www.unz.com/pbuchanan/is-putin-the-preeminent-statesman-of-our-times/


4 posted on 04/02/2017 5:26:49 AM PDT by Bogie
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To: Navy Patriot

Um... I don’t think much about Putin at all. Who are the conservatives that supposedly think of Putin as a hero? I’ve never seen that sentiment expressed anywhere.

I think the author of this piece is a bit of a nutjob. At least, judging by this example of his writing.


5 posted on 04/02/2017 5:27:18 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Navy Patriot

Great essay. Putin is not my enemy.


6 posted on 04/02/2017 5:27:19 AM PDT by Chengdu54
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To: exDemMom
I don't think Putin is a hero. But he is clearly a nationalist.

In the world today, leaders are either Globalists or Nationalists.

I feel I understand why many Russians like Putin. I recently voted for a Nationalist and was proud to do so.

7 posted on 04/02/2017 5:33:39 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Abortion is what slavery was: immoral but not illegal. Not yet.)
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To: exDemMom

It is a bit long, but have a little patience and read it through, it is worthwhile.


8 posted on 04/02/2017 5:35:39 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: Chengdu54

Looks nowadays like we are having problems with enemy domestic.


9 posted on 04/02/2017 5:36:48 AM PDT by Bogie
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To: Navy Patriot; exDemMom; Chengdu54
from the article: "Vladimir Putin is a powerful ideological symbol and a highly effective ideological litmus test.
He is a hero to populist conservatives around the world and anathema to progressives.
I don’t want to compare him to our own president, but if you know enough about what a given American thinks of Putin, you can probably tell what he thinks of Donald Trump."

Total leftist rubbish.
No American conservative admires dictators, leftist or "right-wing" or anything else.
US conservatism is the opposite of dictatorship, we value US Constitution, freedom, law and the Bible.
None of that corresponds to Putin.

The only thing we might grudgingly admit is that Putin defends his country, and we'd like our President to do likewise.
But so did Stalin, Hitler & Mao Tse-Tung defend their countries, and nobody suggests they are admired today.

10 posted on 04/02/2017 5:36:58 AM PDT by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective...)
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To: Chengdu54
Great essay. Putin is not my enemy.

Putin is not the enemy of Civilization or Christianity, either.

11 posted on 04/02/2017 5:38:18 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: bert
Putin’s primary task is to keep Mother Russia from dying

Seems he is succeeding.

12 posted on 04/02/2017 5:39:56 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: Navy Patriot
My excuse to republish my vanity about how we should react to Vladimir Putin and his relationship to us.


13 posted on 04/02/2017 5:40:10 AM PDT by nathanbedford (attack, repeat, attack! Bull Halsey)
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To: Navy Patriot

Good article


14 posted on 04/02/2017 5:43:00 AM PDT by honurider (no one is more indoctrinated then the indoctrinator)
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To: Bogie

Thanks Bogie, ... is Ron Unz welcome on FR?


15 posted on 04/02/2017 5:45:40 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: Navy Patriot

That is my take. There are obviously still Socialists and Communists, but the Globalists have made common cause with them. In fact, I’ve thought for a long time that the Marxists have co-opted the Globalist movement.

Increasingly, the real fight is between the Nationalists and Globalists. Personally, I stand with the Nationalists.


16 posted on 04/02/2017 5:47:09 AM PDT by rbg81 (Truth is stranger than fiction)
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To: nathanbedford

OK, excuse accepted, your stuff is always pretty good anyway.


17 posted on 04/02/2017 5:53:31 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: Bogie

you are correct

Barack obama is a greater enemy to America than Vladimer Putin


18 posted on 04/02/2017 5:55:12 AM PDT by bert (K.E.; N.P.; GOPc;WASP .... Hillary is Ameritrash, pass it on)
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To: rbg81

Yep, I favor traditional American Nationalism.


19 posted on 04/02/2017 5:57:08 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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To: bert

Agreed.


20 posted on 04/02/2017 5:57:41 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America returns to the Rule of Law)
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