Parsing Putin: on the complex and inscrutable character of Russia's president

atlantic monthly ^ | February 24, 2005 | Paul Starobin

[kevin fortuna]

Vladimir Putin never expected to become President of Russia. But on the eve of the new millennium, Boris Yeltsin abdicated, leaving him in charge. Over the five years he has served thus far, he has been faced with Chechnyan terrorism, rampant organized crime, and widespread business corruption. He has responded to each of these challenges by consolidating power ever more tightly within the Kremlin—a pattern that has made him a highly controversial figure on the world stage. While some view his heavy-handed approach as a betrayal of Russia's fledgling status as a democracy, others welcome it as a necessary antidote to the chaos of contemporary Russia.

Over the years, Atlantic correspondent Paul Starobin has researched Putin's history and background and spoken both with those who know him personally and with political analysts who have studied his behavior. In "The Accidental Autocrat" (March Atlantic), Starobin portrays Russia's leader as a complex mixture of seemingly incongruous parts. There is Putin the fighter—a man who describes himself as having a "pugilistic nature," and who has long held a black belt in judo. There is Putin the canny former KGB operative—rigorously trained to calculate his every move and to dispense information sparingly. And then there is Putin the believer—a man of faith, who as a child absorbed his mother's strong Orthodox Russian beliefs and continues to practice devoutly.

[kevin fortuna]

this guy is interesting, someone to watch. seems unwilling to stand by and let Russia become an also-ran superpower...

[Truth666]

And then there is Putin the believer—a man of faith, who as a child absorbed his mother's strong Orthodox Russian beliefs and continues to practice devoutly.
Tribulation chronology: Quatrain X.72, deception and fulfillment

[starfish923]

Putin has the physical discipline of judo.
He has the intellectual discipline of rising in the KGB. He has the ruthlessness to stay at the top.
And he is a practicing Christian in the Russian Orthodox Church.

That IS most interesting.

I trust him to do what is best for Russia and the Russians, HIS way, but it will be, for his own vision, best for Russia and the Russians.

It will be interesting to see if he can STEP DOWN one day and give up all that heady power. Therein will lie the real character of Putin.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Russia is a mess. It is now a matter of who is going to run the show. Will it be organized crime, one of the best organized and most ruthless gangs ever? Will it be the autocrats who seized the plum industries when communism fell, like the the oil, utilities, and diamonds? Or will it be Putin, the duly elected President? He has a lot on his plate.

[Grzegorz 246]

[GarySpFc]

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