Putin Aide Cites Brezhnev as 'Plus' for Russia

A computer-generated picture of an aged Putin wearing Mr. Brezhnev's trademark medal-encrusted uniform.

MOSCOW—Vladimir Putin's plan to return to the presidency next year, which could open the way for him to rule for another 12 years, has drawn critical comparisons to long-serving Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

While many in Russia and the West see Mr. Brezhnev's reign as one of stagnant totalitarianism, for Mr. Putin's spokesman the analogy isn't a bad thing at all. "Brezhnev wasn't a minus for the history of our country, he was a huge plus," Dmitry Peskov told Dozhd, an independent Russian television network. "He laid the foundation of the economy, agriculture, etc."

After serving as president from 2000 to 2008, Mr. Putin moved to the prime minister's post due to term limits, but he was seen as the country's paramount leader. Dmitry Medvedev, the iPad-toting protege he picked to assume the presidency, encouraged some liberals in Russia and abroad with his talk of greater political and economic openness. Mr. Medvedev even drew comparisons to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped bring an end to communism and the Cold War.

The scary thing about Putin that most people tend to ignore is that he is actually popular in Russia. Most articles in the West tend to portray him as some imbecile ruffian who is only popular with the oligarchs, when the fact is that he is quite popular with everyday people. His popularity has been ranked as the highest of any leader in the world at one time, and primarily on the back of the Russian people seeing a stark difference between his policies (which brought about greater economic stability, higher living standards, greater Russian influence in the energy field, better financial measures such as a flat tax and improved legal codes, and for many, a greater feeling of pride to be Russian which was totally absent during the Yeltsin years) as compared to the policies of Yeltsin (which brought a lot of hardships to ordinary Russians during the ‘90s, and the reason why although in the West Yeltsin is seen as a hero in Russia he is regarded as a useless sot).

That’s Putin’s real danger. That he has the support of most of the nation (obviously barring people like Garry Kasparov and Mikhail Khodorkovsky). Compared to Yeltsin (and compared to the Soviet days), many Russians see Putin as a veritable messiah, whether it is through better living standards and a greater economy, or whether it is by smashing Georgia (again, perceptions in Russia will be different from ours). In many ways, pride. Pride to such an extent that it borders on fervent nationalism (approaching the level of China, which is another country that is more and more fascist …actually none of these countries are communist – the closest they are to any ideology is fascism, another point that many people, including on FR, forget to consider. The enemy is not communist …it is fascist with a capitalist core, and that is a far more formidable opponent than one blindly following Mao, in China’s case, or Lenin/Stalin, in Russia’s. In both countries those ideologies are in the waste heap).

Why is that a threat? Well, because the strong nationalist growth (and its frenetic spread) in Russia and China come at a point where both countries are getting stronger (both from an economic stand point as well as military – and in China’s case include a strong geo-political strength surge), while the US is getting weaker. That is a concern. Does that mean that Russia will be attacking the US? Personally I doubt it, and not only that but I think sometime in the future the US and Russia will have to stand together again, but against the Chinese these time as opposed to the Germans. However that is a story for another day.

The point is that there is a tendency in the West (not in FR for the most part, but definitely in the MSM that is strongly pro-Kasparov/Khodorkovsky) to try and paint Putin as someone who is forcing himself on the Russians. While I strongly believe Kasparov and Khodorkovsky are correct about Putin being a problem, I at the same time find the assertions that Putin is hated ludicrous. That man is very (actually, very) popular in Russia, and furthermore he has delivered for the Russian people. That is a far greater threat than the ‘unpopular monster’ some parts of the media try to paint him as.

The only thing more dangerous than a vampire count terrorizing an entire countryside of people is a vampire count that is adored by an entire countryside of people. Putin so far has been very intelligent/strategic, has delivered when it comes to results, and is very popular. That’s a far more potent punch than that of an incompetent, non-delivering and unpopular buffoon like Yeltsin was. A far more dangerous combination (and something people like Mikhael Shaakasvili of Georgia found out the hard way during the 2008 ‘war’ with Russia when the Russians came in, smashed them, and occupied two pieces of Georgian territory – South Ossetia and Abkhazia– without anyone doing anything about it but talk, with a joint conference between Shaakasvili and Condoleeza Rice being the highlight while the Russians went all the way to Tbilisi without much trouble). Pride can be a potent nationalistic fuel, and Putin is a strong source of it for the Russian people. Therein lies the hidden danger. He can do almost anything since, to them, he can do almost no wrong.

The comparisons with Brezhnev are overdrawn. Brezhnev was a joke to most Russians and the “era of stagnation” is not looked on fondly. There is no great appetite to return to Communism. Russian conservative nationalists like Putin are popular because they strengthened the economy, raised living standards and showed Russia was a major power. Putin is genuinely popular because he is pursuing policies most Russian voters want. United Russia will win big again in the Duma elections in December and Putin will win the presidency again in a landslide next March.

The country is genuinely grateful to him. He can only wind up in trouble if things go bad on his watch. Whatever people think of him, he is an amazing politician. Few people can play the game of democracy like he can and when he gets in on conferences, he is at his best. Unlike the widely reviled Gorbachev, he is not trying to mess things up in Russia.

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