Putin cares for his pocket and power, and so he has to care about Russia since it's his money/power source. You needn't be afraid of Socialism from Russia. Russia is run by practical people nowdays.
Putin is a good gambler and negotiator, I think he's better in this than most other current world leaders, so he deserves some respect.
But he's no way a liberty champion. He doesn't know how to rule in a way different from the authoritarian one. Similarly, he's afraid of public politics.
Thanks for the perspective.
Seems a reasonable accessment.
Agree and basically right on concerning Putin....
Interesting you mentioning he’s afraid of ‘public’ politics...that would explain some of the struggling I’ve seen at times. But he IS putting on a good show and it’s the perception he’s appealing to....in that respect he has the world’s attention for the most part.