Posted on 12/30/2017 11:43:57 AM PST by GoldenState_Rose
If there is one thing the Russian leadership despises, and fears, it is civil unrest. The “color revolutions” of recent decades in Ukraine and elsewhere, along with the “Arab Spring,” have shown Moscow in real time what can happen when a political movement spirals beyond control.
The Russian people have seen their standards of living decline, and social services cut in favor of military spending over the last several years. In short, the trappings exist right now for a good old-fashioned spate of civil disobedience.
The Kremlin knows this. They thought they had all the T’s crossed and the I’s dotted. Then along comes Mr. Navalny calling for massive demonstrations across Russia a mere few weeks before the nation goes to vote.
If Mr. Putin pushes back too hard against Mr. Navalny, he could be outed as too authoritarian and his carefully crafted PR campaign and image could be tarnished. If he goes to soft, and let’s Mr. Navalny keep going, Russia could be in for some serious political unrest.
We have a showdown at the Moscow corral.
My bet is on Mr. Putin. I think he will shut Mr. Navalny down by any means necessary. There is simply too much on the line for the government he has built over the last few decades.
Mr. Putin is also counting on the Russian people, who are in no mood for a revolution, as they have seen how that can work out. The Bolsheviks destroyed Russia for a hundred years...
In any event, the next few weeks in the Russian Federation will be extremely interesting. Get the popcorn.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
“If he goes to soft”
Someone was paid to write this?
Will they follow Russia’s ally, Iran’s footsteps...hmm...
Monty: American fake news media has spent all their energies on Trump collusion conspiracies and almost none on the domestic developments of the political scene *WITHIN RUSSIA* as of late...things are a brewing!
As they are in Iran...
Putin may hang on in 2018, but he likely won’t last his full 6 year term.
Hillary tried to launch one of those color revolutions there in 2011. Thats when our NGOs got kicked out. They wanted to install a government that was friendly to western bankers and would agree to be a subdistrict of the DC EU world government.
Perhaps she did...but this past year’s phase of protests is a whole different enchilada...Russians came out in droves not just in hippie hippie St. P and Moscow — but the provinces and outlying regions as well...aka Putin country. The heartland.
They’ve pretty much seen the outcome of a bunch of people in the street overthrowing things in Egypt Libya Syria and Ukraine. I don’t see anything developing there.
As long as the Army is well-fed nothing will happen.
and now Iran* - the Kremlin’s trusted ally.
The fact Mother Russia is sick doesn’t mean she can’t get drunk and raise hell
There's always demand for neo-liberal deep state propaganda, even this drivel.
Someone was paid to write this?
LOLTodd too soft Wood
Nothing would happen. ‘Russian Spring’ was wishful thinking on Hillary’s part in 2012, more so today.
I doubt a “Spring” scenario as well...in terms of violence.
But not in terms of imminent political change and the unraveling of the Putin regime before 2024.
The ridiculous thing is neocons are back trying to push globalist interventionism as somehow being anti-establishment.
They are trying to rebrand themselves and sell the same policies the Bush era neocons wanted but didn’t get to see to fruition, namely war with Iran and Russia.
I was there last year and the Russians seemed pretty happy. One person did comment to me that the standard of living in the cities was good, but that improvements hadn’t reached the rural areas yet. Of course, they were always in rather bad shape, but Communist collectivism really destroyed the farm economy and farm villages, so they had a long way to go to recuperate. Perhaps Putin needs to spend more money there, although, as in the US, these areas are pretty depopulated.
In the Washington Times, no less.
As the author of the article says, his bet is on Putin. Living standards have gone down (especially for people outside the big cities) - but not to dire straits or “Revolution” status.
The rural areas are depopulated because everyone is moving in droves to the cities for a chance at a decent livelihood. Especially young people who want opportunity. The beautiful little villages in between are dying from neglect and aging residents...and in general Russia has a “sparse population” problem due to low birthrates and the demographic crisis.
Russians —especially with any memory of the turmoil of the 90s -> are so desperate for stability, they will accept a happy medium. And right now they are in “stagnation” mode -Brezhnev style- and they know it, and they accept it...
But...considering the world climate we’re in today, the populism in Europe, the uprisings in places like Iran, the shock of Brexit, the Trump election and even the resolve of Ukraine —> make no mistake, even in the midst of economic comfort, these realities remind Russians that something is amiss when you still live on the terms of authoritarian system and the whims of a handful of wealthy oligarchs regardless of the acceptable living standards you are allotted in return for passivity...
For Russia to truly blossom, to innovate - it needs to change.
Putin has demonstrated time and time again, that people who dare to oppose him end up dead.
Wow, we’ve gotten to a point where Americans are so disillusioned with their own country they’d rather see a “dear leader” Putin serve for life.
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