Wednesday 19 March 2014

Putin's Posture

Back to the wall
We said a couple of weeks ago how much Putin resents the way he's treated by Fate generally, and the West in particular.  He's evidently been told by someone not to suffer in silence - let it out, old chap !

The Grauniad headlines it thus:
Vladimir Putin's message to the west: Russia is back
In truth, Russia is backs-to-the-wall would be more like it. 
... his address to the Duma covered a wide range of issues including relations with the US and Germany ... in large part a 50-minute whinge, a disappointed man's whine about life's unfairness and a historical determinism that boomeranged on its most devout adherents. Putin is a master of the politics of grievance ... bitterness and bile poured out unchecked, mixed up with an apparently bolstered but unfounded confidence that the US and the EU are virtually incapable of beating back Russia's new cross-border assertiveness.
The irresponsible neo-cons who have run US foreign policy for many years now must be laughing themselves silly.

But even while I persist in the view that Putin's is essentially a defensive posture, it must be said there is a very fair chance both Russia and China will try something on in the next few months to calibrate just how the West can be relied upon to stand back.  Some of their clients will be having the same thought.

Dangerous times.  Didi you see the BBC's excellent "37 Days" ? (on the run-up to WW1).  Full of the miscalculations, stupidities, errors and sheer bad luck that can result in events slipping out of control.  Ah yes: events, dear boy, events.  Probably quite a few more of those in the pipeline.

ND

6 comments:

dearieme said...

I read recently an account of all the Western promises made to Russia since the USSR folded, and the way we have ratted on all of them. The principal crook was Clinton - no surprise there.

CityUnslicker said...

russia never believed our promises to stuff them I say. Putin can show his strength on his border- wonderful for them.

The west was stupid to get involved,our policy on georgia and azerbaijan was much more realistic.

Russia can have its fun in the middle east too - after all, if they want jihadists attecking them too then good luck to them.

However, without access to foreing markets russia's business and real economy is shafted and unfortunately for Putin, London and New York still get to oversee that.

hovis said...

"The west was stupid to get involved"
CU: Indeed,the pertinent question that comes to mind is without EU/US involvement in the last couple of years would it have come to this? personally I doubt it.

As for the M.E. who's jihadists are you refferring to - the UK/US funded ones or the Iranian ones? :-)

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