He need only threaten to put obama in charge to silence protest and dissent.
Vlad has a plan, bet on it!
It was out of economic desperation that Germany enabled Hitler to threaten the entire World.
It will only encourage him further to do whatever it is he has in mind - playing games with him without being prepared to back it up with force will also only encourage him. Once again I expect that the EU will continue to poke the Bear and then expect the USA to back them up.
He’s a very clever tactician. Certainly he beats the pants off Obola and the Euro-faggy-waggies.
But he doesn’t seem to have much in the line of long term strategy for the good of his own people. He’s either fundamentally stupid, or fundamentally evil, or both. He just doesn’t seem to give much of a rat’s patoot about the welfare of Russians, which, as the most powerful leader in modern Russian history, he certainly has the opportunity to improve.
But he’s not taking that opportunity. He’s taking a big crap on the heads of the Russian people. I wonder why.
America’s economy tanking certainly didn’t make “O” change course. This is the result that is desired, control over everyone who isn’t one of the ‘elite’.
In 1941, US trade sanctions against Japan caused it to attack the USA at Pearl Harbor.
As in 1941, the USA & western Europe are ill prepared to fight a world war. Thankfully, Russia is also ill prepared to go to war.
Is Putin as aggressive as Tojo?
Putin will soon become as paranoid as Stalin, and necessarily so. His closest supporters will start to turn against him, and he will have no choice but to bump them off....leaving him with no supporters at all.
I don’t trust anything from the WaPo. This article smacks of wishful thinking journalism to me.
The Russian people are ready to accept the austerity resulting from the tanking Russian economy? How do we know this? Whose polling reveals this?
Crude oil is down nearly thirty dollars a barrel in three months. The Russian economy depends nearly exclusively upon oil sales. This cannot possibly not affect Putin’s decision making. Making war is expensive. The ruble is down 20%. Twenty percent. In three months.
It is just as dangerous to overestimate one’s enemy as it is to underestimate him.
When we see articles like this from liberal rags, generally the opposite turns out to be the truth. I say Russia, which too often we confuse with the Soviet Union, is weak, and now would be a good time to bust Putin’s chops.
Of course, that won’t happen because Ronald Reagan isn’t in the White House, but one can dream.....
Well, in a lot of ways, Russia is similar to the United States, full of gullible voters see Putin as a good guy, regardless of what he does. Second, it’s hard to see the lack of freedom unless you are someone who disagrees with the government, which is sad, because people should be able to see that there’s some civility toward people that don’t agree with them.
Ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union I’ve wondered about the financial progress of the average Russian citizen. I’ve run into Russian tour groups out west, so I know things must have picked up for many of them. But it would still be nice to find out the progress made by the average Russian citizen in the last twenty plus years.
This piece is propaganda right out of the bowels of the Executive Office Building.
It is written to shine a bright friendly light on the President who wrecked havoc on Putin without firing as shot.
Conservatives that hate putin and Russia will be duped into supporting the President