Difference between revisions of "Vladimir Putin"

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In terms of achievements, Putin has successfully opposed the [[homosexual agenda]] and has supported [[pro-life]] reforms.  He has also stabilized the Russian economy and restored Russia's national pride, largely by politically exploiting the financial windfall of Europe's need for Russian oil and gas. Russians were enthusiastic that he ended the social chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent pell-mell privatization of the state-owned economy.  Many Russians have been mesmerized by the new glitter of Moscow and the restored glamour of St. Petersburg. Russia's revived self-pride follows the humiliation of the chaos after 1991 and the incompetence of his predecessor [[Boris Yeltsin]]. Russians have a long history of authoritarian governments and a strong diastase for anarchy. They have little experience with freedom. The Russian mafia, which is more sophisticated than its counterparts elsewhere, controls more than 40 percent of the total economy. Their control is thought to be even greater in certain areas, such as banking, real estate, and consumer markets.<ref>[http://www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/trans/janfeb97/art4.htm Louise I. Shelley, ''The Price Tag of Russia's Organized Crime'']</ref> In November 2014, Putin started allowing his citizens to own concealed firearms for self-defense.<ref>https://www.rt.com/news/206703-russia-guns-self-defense/</ref> Russia under Putin made it illegal for foreigners without a permit to preach religion, and banned cults that engage in family shunning.<ref>http://forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2197s</ref> This is why a Baptist pastor got in trouble.<ref>http://www.christianpost.com/news/russia-persecution-christians-intensifies-putin-cant-be-trusted-experts-warn-184255/</ref>
 
In terms of achievements, Putin has successfully opposed the [[homosexual agenda]] and has supported [[pro-life]] reforms.  He has also stabilized the Russian economy and restored Russia's national pride, largely by politically exploiting the financial windfall of Europe's need for Russian oil and gas. Russians were enthusiastic that he ended the social chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent pell-mell privatization of the state-owned economy.  Many Russians have been mesmerized by the new glitter of Moscow and the restored glamour of St. Petersburg. Russia's revived self-pride follows the humiliation of the chaos after 1991 and the incompetence of his predecessor [[Boris Yeltsin]]. Russians have a long history of authoritarian governments and a strong diastase for anarchy. They have little experience with freedom. The Russian mafia, which is more sophisticated than its counterparts elsewhere, controls more than 40 percent of the total economy. Their control is thought to be even greater in certain areas, such as banking, real estate, and consumer markets.<ref>[http://www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/trans/janfeb97/art4.htm Louise I. Shelley, ''The Price Tag of Russia's Organized Crime'']</ref> In November 2014, Putin started allowing his citizens to own concealed firearms for self-defense.<ref>https://www.rt.com/news/206703-russia-guns-self-defense/</ref> Russia under Putin made it illegal for foreigners without a permit to preach religion, and banned cults that engage in family shunning.<ref>http://forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2197s</ref> This is why a Baptist pastor got in trouble.<ref>http://www.christianpost.com/news/russia-persecution-christians-intensifies-putin-cant-be-trusted-experts-warn-184255/</ref>
Blasphemy against the church is also illegal. <ref>http://www.aif.ru/society/law/delo_est_a_boga_net_za_chto_na_samom_dele_sudyat_viktora_krasnova?fbclid=IwAR2bypeUccKIaU4-J0V-Ybe4pl0EsUK32g4EaItpB8pdJ_ZQ5SYS37lh7dU</ref><ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/03/russian-atheist-faces-year-in-jail-for-denying-existence-of-god-during-webchat</ref>
+
Blasphemy against the church is also illegal. (Russian)<ref>http://www.aif.ru/society/law/delo_est_a_boga_net_za_chto_na_samom_dele_sudyat_viktora_krasnova?fbclid=IwAR2bypeUccKIaU4-J0V-Ybe4pl0EsUK32g4EaItpB8pdJ_ZQ5SYS37lh7dU</ref><ref>https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/03/russian-atheist-faces-year-in-jail-for-denying-existence-of-god-during-webchat</ref>
  
 
===Political career===
 
===Political career===

Revision as of 01:12, December 11, 2018

Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin (2017-07-08).jpg
2th and 4th President of Russia
From: December 31, 1999–May 7, 2008 (first)
May 7, 2012– (second)
Vice President Dmitry Medvedev
Predecessor Boris Yeltsin (First term), Dmitry Medvedev (Second term)
Successor Incumbent (no successor)
Information
Party United Russia
Religion claimed Russian Orthodox, previously Atheist

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин) (born October 7, 1952) was reelected president of the Russian Federation in 2012, after serving as prime minister since May 8, 2008, and previously serving as president since December 31, 1999, the day Boris Yeltsin resigned from the presidency.[1]

A Christian, Putin leads the increasingly conservative Russia against the homosexual agenda and towards pro-life side. Much of the criticism of Russia by liberals in the United States is motivated by their opposition to Russian policies on social issues. Obama even refused to attend the Winter Olympic games held in Russia in 2014.

However, Putin has made many controversial statements on Communism and has a good attitude towards Islam. Alexander Dugin argues:[2]

If we consider the situation in Russia more closely, we will discover that almost all that is said in the West about Putin is wrong. It is a complete caricature. The most important criticism of Putin inside Russia is not from the liberals. Liberals represent the smallest part of the critics. They are absolutely marginal… So the West is absolutely wrong in thinking that there is this big liberal opposition to Putin that is artificially kept down. The real opposition to Putin is growing completely on the other side of Russian society. It is growing discontent with "lunar" Putin, against the Putin who is surrounded by liberals. All the government is completely not only corrupt, it consists of pro-Western liberals. Nothing has changed after the last election.

Forbes ranked Putin as the most powerful man in the world as of December 2016, while Obama was ranked #48. Putin gains popularity every time he challenges the U.S. or Europe, or sends troops into Georgia.[3] Putin's Russia is an authoritarian system, with restricted capitalism, a rubber stamp parliament, compliant media, imprisoned or exiled oligarchs, harassed NGOs, marginalized pro-Western democratic parties, and a foreign policy based on bullying and military strength, all based on money from oil and gas.[4][5]

In March 2018, Putin unveiled his re-vamped nuclear missile program, and used the opportunity to threaten the United States of America and the Western World.[6]

Background

Putin was born in Leningrad on October 7, 1952 and was baptized as an Orthodox Christian and continue to be a member to this day. Putin was a judo champion in his youth.[7] He was educated in law and economics at Leningrad State University before being assigned to work in the KGB.[8] After five years in East Germany, he took up various political positions before becoming prime minister in 1999.

Putin at an conference

He was married to Lyudmila Putina, a former stewardess with Aeroflot, from July 28, 1983, until 2014, when the two divorced. They have two daughters.

Domestic policy

A Christian himself, Putin governs a nation that is rapidly becoming more Christian and more conservative, and his snubbing of liberal Obama in May 2012 suggests that Putin is well aware of how conservative his country is becoming. On social issues and taxation, Russia under Putin is more conservative today than the Western Europe.

In terms of achievements, Putin has successfully opposed the homosexual agenda and has supported pro-life reforms. He has also stabilized the Russian economy and restored Russia's national pride, largely by politically exploiting the financial windfall of Europe's need for Russian oil and gas. Russians were enthusiastic that he ended the social chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent pell-mell privatization of the state-owned economy. Many Russians have been mesmerized by the new glitter of Moscow and the restored glamour of St. Petersburg. Russia's revived self-pride follows the humiliation of the chaos after 1991 and the incompetence of his predecessor Boris Yeltsin. Russians have a long history of authoritarian governments and a strong diastase for anarchy. They have little experience with freedom. The Russian mafia, which is more sophisticated than its counterparts elsewhere, controls more than 40 percent of the total economy. Their control is thought to be even greater in certain areas, such as banking, real estate, and consumer markets.[9] In November 2014, Putin started allowing his citizens to own concealed firearms for self-defense.[10] Russia under Putin made it illegal for foreigners without a permit to preach religion, and banned cults that engage in family shunning.[11] This is why a Baptist pastor got in trouble.[12] Blasphemy against the church is also illegal. (Russian)[13][14]

Political career

V Putin.jpg

Putin is mainly backed by the United Russia (Единая Россия) party, which currently holds a majority in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, known as the Duma. The party usually reflects the political views of Putin, which are that of moderate conservatism and nationalism. On March 14, 2004, he was elected to a second term as president with 71% of the vote. Barred from a third consecutive term by the Russian constitution, Putin ceded the presidency to Dmitry Medvedev on May 7, 2008, and became Prime Minister, at the time sharing power with the more moderate Medvedev. Medvedev did not run for a second term, and, as a result, Putin was re-elected in 2012.

Political views

Foreign Policy

Putin is an active interventionist, which brought Russia back on the world stage since the fall of the Soviet Union, this is one of the most important reasons why Cold War features takes back, especially with the United States which is the only world superpower after the end of the Cold War.[15]

Escalating tensions in the Obama era

Putin is seen as an antagonist by liberals in the West, who are angry about their inability to push the homosexual agenda and pro-abortion policies on Russia. Putin views NATO enlargement by absorbing former Soviet client states as a potential threat to the Russian Federation. Putin has proposed a policy of "Findlandization", i.e., making permanently neutral the Ukraine and Georgia and not incorporating them into NATO under the US's Partners for Peace program. Putin's alleged rigged election system, nuclear energy contracts and military alliance with Iran have heightened tensions. According to mainstream media, the decline of human rights in Russia has been dramatic; for example, Russian riot police beat a number of protesters and journalists at an anti-Putin rally at Pushkin Square in Moscow,[16] and Putin rigged national elections for his party [17]

Putin has even exercised power over the Russian supreme court. Justice Vladimir Yaroslavtsev was forced to resign after warning that Russian security agencies now control the country as they did in Soviet times and expressing alarm over their lack of accountability. Justice Anatoly Kononov was likewise forced out after defending Yaroslavtsev.[18]

Many who have reported or protested such things have found themselves being repressed - or killed.[19][20] Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, an outspoken critic of Putin, was assassinated in 2006,[21] and it is widely believed that the Russian government had some involvement in this death. There were 13 journalists killed in contract-style slayings during Vladimir Putin's eight-year presidency.[22]

Despite these negatives – or perhaps because of the strong hand they reveal – Putin remains popular in Russia.[23] Since coming to power, Putin has expanded Russia's economy and reduced inflation. The majority of Russians are relatively uninterested in politics outside of issues affecting their personal prosperity,[24] and journalist Anna Politkovskaya argued that the Russian people, as a whole, have been willing to tolerate violence in the name of "comfort and peace and quiet".[25]

Relations with U.S.

Conservatives such as Sean Hannity have repeately issued warnings that Putin is a thug and a "bad actor" who cannot be trusted.[26]

Relations under George W. Bush

Initially relations between George W. Bush and Putin were good, with Putin lending passive support to Bush's war on global terror. Putin was restrained from giving much assistance outside the Russian Federation, being pre-occupied with the Islamist movements waging jihad inside his own borders.

In Bush's late second term, Putin was concerned about jihadist infiltration from Turkey and Syria through the Republic of Georgia, and intervened. Former members of the Warsaw Pact, who were more supportive of the war on terror than even the US population, then asked for deployment of missile defense systems on their territories, which the Bush administration was inclined to favor as a reward for their help. Russia considered missile defense deployment on their borders overt acts of hostility. Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, in competition to outdo each other, condemned George W. Bush and Condoleezza Rice by sidling up to the Russians and Islamists whom the Democrats portrayed as oppressed victims of a global neocon conspiracy.

Relations under Barack Obama
Targetted Sanctions, from a Moscow art exhibition.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton initially cozied up to Putin, charging the Bush administration was intent on reigniting the Cold War. However once the Rosatom-Uranium One deal was completed and the Clinton Foundation pocketed millions of dollars from Putin cronies in donations and speaking fees, relations began to sour as the Obama administration could no longer ignore geopolitical realities. Putin had protested the Obama administrations illegal drone strikes, and the administration placed sanctions on Russian leaders ostensibly in retaliation for the Crimean referendum.[27]

President Obama's decision to move an anti-missile defense system to Romania during the 2016 US Presidential election only heightened tensions. Putin, who had repeatedly assailed the antimissile system as a grave danger to Russia's security, called Obama's decision dangerous. This coupled with Obama's implementation of sanctions rather than honor the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances negotiated by the Clinton administration, displaying it as an empty promise to guarantee Ukrainian independence, only further exposed the befuddlement and inability of the Obama administration to stand by US commitments and the weaknesses of NATO.

In September 2013, Putin gave a speech stating the need to strengthen Russian culture with traditional values and the Orthodox Christian church. Also, he condemned Western nations and their godless pursuit of political correctness and homosexuality.[28]

In early September 2013, Putin expressly observed that liberal John Kerry is a liar.

Relations under Donald Trump

President Donald Trump accused Putin of taking Crimea by force and asked whether Obama was too soft on Russia.[29] In March 2017 the US department of state strongly condemned the arrests of hundreds of protesters against Vladimir Putin's government.[30] The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that US sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Moscow "reverses the actions" it has taken in Ukraine.[31]

In response to the April, 4 chemical attack on Khan Shaykhun in Syria, President Trump launched 59-Tomahawk rockets on a Syrian Air base nearby, tensions led up with Russia, Syria's ally, Putin has called that the US attack was an "illegal act of aggression",[32] and answered this attack by sending a frigate to the military base in Syria.[33] In April 2017 Putin explained that the US-Russia relations have gotten worse under Trump, contrary to narratives put out by the liberal mainstream media that Trump is too "soft" to Putin and is Putin's 'puppet' .[34]

In December 2017 Putin warned President Trump because of his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and stated that he was "deeply concerned".[35] Putin also opposed Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and told that Russia would continue to honor its obligations under this deal.[36]

In March 2018, Russian Propaganda video was released showing how a new missile program could be used to attack America. In the video, the state of Florida was specifically targeted.[37][38]

Relations with the EU

In 2014 Putin founded the Eurasian Economic Union to oppose the European Union.

After Crimea was annexed by Russia, the European Union imposed sanctions against Putin and his government.[39]

The relations within the EU are different and divided, it is mainly the following countries advocating namely a critical attitude towards the Russian government: the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) Poland, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom,[40][41] while the following countries belong to the pro Kremlin camp or want to maintain a better relationship: Hungary, Italy and Czech Republic.

Also, multiple nationalist parties in the EU appreciate Putin's policies against the Leftist liberal dominance in Europe, like Marine Le Pen's National Front.

Views on abortion

Putin rejects any constitutional right to abortion, as exists in the United States, but is not ready to ban abortion from Russia either. Instead, Putin has supported and enforced pro-life laws in Russian which would be invalidated by pro-abortion courts in the United States. In 2017, he said that he will allow societal (including church) views to guide him on the issue:[42]

“In the modern world, the decision is up to the woman herself,” Putin said, and indicated that additional pro-life proposals “must be careful, considered and based on the general mood in society and the moral and ethical norms that have developed in society.”

Putin's "the decision" is an ambiguous phrase that could include the decision to have the pregnancy in the first place. Also, Putin is very pro-Russia and if thinks abortion is lowering the birth rate in a harmful way, then he could abolish it based on national interests.

Views on communism and the Soviet Union

As someone who rules in the style of the czars, Putin has before called the Bolsheviks traitors for Russia’s defeat in the First World War.[43] However, he has also expressed that "[he] liked Communist and socialist ideas very much and [he] like[s] them still." and compared the Soviet code of conduct to the Bible.[44] Putin also has compared communism with Christianity.[45] Putin was accused of embracing the tactics of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.[46] In addition, he implies in an interview with Larry King dated September 8, 2000 that his Christianity isn't actually sincere by stating in Russian that he "believes in the power of man" or "I believe in human beings." Furthermore, around October 2017, he hosted the 19th World Festival of Youth and Students Communist event and gave a speech that strongly implied that he adhered to Communism. Similarly, he also had provided arms and materiel to various communist groups, including Angola, and has voiced a desire to reconnect with Latin America shortly before the FSLN regained power in Nicaragua and has supported Nicaragua via foreign aid, shipping tanks, and even posting a GLONASS tracking station on the Caribbean coast, alongside similar arming of North Korea.[47] He also indicated that he still keeps his KGB card while citing his contemporaries within the KGB had discarded theirs after the USSR's fall.[48]

Views on Islam

In January 2018 Putin said that "[t]raditional Islam is an integral part of the Russian cultural code". He also vowed to support Islamic religious education.[49]

Putin has openly endorsed his Muslim puppet dictator in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.[50] Kadyrov has de facto established Sharia law in the region and was condemned by the international community for slaughtering gay citizens.[51] Chechen authorities have imposed a compulsory Islamic dresscode for women.[52]

Quotes

  • "Anyone who doesn't regret the passing of the Soviet Union has no heart. Anyone who wants it restored has no brains."[53]

Trivia

Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, accused Putin of stealing Kraft's Super Bowl ring. Putin responded that Kraft gave it to him as a gift.

See also

Further reading

  • Baker, Peter, and Susan Glasser. Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin's Russia and the End of Revolution (2nd ed. 2007); excerpt and text search
  • Goldman, Marshall I. Petrostate: Putin, Power, and the New Russia (2008) excerpt and text search
  • Lucas, Edward. The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West (2009) excerpt and text search
  • Stuermer, Michael. Putin and the Rise of Russia (2009)
  • Wegren, Stephen K., and Dale R. Herspring, eds. After Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain (4th ed. 2009) excerpt and text search

References

  1. Putin was later elected president by 54% of the electorate on March 26, 2000.
  2. http://www.aspeninstitute.it/aspenia-online/article/russian-conservative-view-putin-interview-alexander-dugin
  3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/2015/jul/23/vladimir-putins-approval-rating-at-record-levels
  4. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melikkaylan/2016/09/20/putin-brings-back-the-kgb-as-russia-moves-from-authoritarian-to-totalitarian/#48e4a416398a
  5. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32860526
  6. Putin Shows Off New Nuclear Weapons, Warns West to ‘Listen’
  7. http://nypost.com/2013/11/13/vladimir-putin-is-tougher-than-chuck-norris/
  8. Webpage of Vladimir Putin
  9. Louise I. Shelley, The Price Tag of Russia's Organized Crime
  10. https://www.rt.com/news/206703-russia-guns-self-defense/
  11. http://forum18.org/archive.php?article_id=2197s
  12. http://www.christianpost.com/news/russia-persecution-christians-intensifies-putin-cant-be-trusted-experts-warn-184255/
  13. http://www.aif.ru/society/law/delo_est_a_boga_net_za_chto_na_samom_dele_sudyat_viktora_krasnova?fbclid=IwAR2bypeUccKIaU4-J0V-Ybe4pl0EsUK32g4EaItpB8pdJ_ZQ5SYS37lh7dU
  14. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/03/russian-atheist-faces-year-in-jail-for-denying-existence-of-god-during-webchat
  15. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-07/putins-back-on-the-world-stage/4415318
  16. The Economist, April 21, 2007
  17. https://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL03585550._CH_.2400
  18. Are You An Independent Russian Judge? You're Fired, RobertAmsterdam.com
  19. Kim Zigfeld, Putin's Own Worst Enemy American Thinker, December 08, 2009
  20. http://larussophobe.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/editorial-another-russian-journalist-takes-the-putin-plunge
  21. http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article1819666.ece
  22. Russian Lawyer in Slain Journalist Case Says She, Family Poisoned AP, October 15, 2008
  23. http://www.levada.ru/prezident.html Putin's Approval Ratings
  24. The Economist, April 21, 2007
  25. Politkovskaya, Anna. Putin's Russia. London: Harvill Press, 2004
  26. Hannity: Examining key points from Russian indictments
  27. https://youtu.be/I-9aD45qxbE
  28. Putin urges Russians to return to values of religion, FT.com, September 19, 2013
  29. Donald Trump accuses Russia of taking Crimea by force in attempt to distance himself from campaign allegations
  30. Washington condemns arrests of hundreds of protesters against Vladimir Putin's government
  31. Tillerson: US to maintain Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia until Crimea is returned
  32. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4389332/Russia-calls-airstrikes-Syria-act-aggression.html
  33. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/world/middleeast/russia-iran-us-strikes-syria.html?_r=0
  34. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228064
  35. Putin 'deeply concerned' by Trump's Jerusalem move. IsraelNationalNews. December 18, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  36. Putin Criticizes Trump Over Iran Nuclear Deal. Haaretz. June 10, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  37. Why Russia Would Specifically Choose to Threaten Florida With a Nuclear Blast
  38. Why would Putin want to nuke Florida?
  39. http://rt.com/business/168192-eu-sanctions-crimea-deadlock/
  40. http://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/russian-sanctions-debate-divides-eu/
  41. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4464/eu-russia
  42. An article biased in favor of abortion but useful for its quotations
  43. https://www.rt.com/politics/putin-accuses-bolsheviks-treason-877/
  44. http://www.newsweek.com/russias-putin-says-he-always-liked-communist-socialist-ideas-419289
  45. Newman, Alex (January 16, 2018). Communism “Very Similar” to Christianity, Putin Claims. The New American. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  46. http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-stalin-model-20150611-story.html
  47. https://westernfreepress.com/is-vladimir-putin-a-communist/
  48. https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/putin-his-communist-party-membership-card-i-still-keep-it-home
  49. https://themoscowtimes.com/news/putin-calls-for-revival-of-islamic-education-in-russia-60276
  50. https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/26/putin-insists-on-russian-law-in-chechnya-while-supporting-muslim-president/
  51. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/chechnya-ramzan-kadyrov-gay-citizens-massacre-chechen-leader-do-not-exist-russia-vladimir-putin-a7675906.html
  52. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-12705300
  53. Parfitt, Tom (December 23, 2007). Spy who came in from the cold. The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2018.

External links