John Chuckman
COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY GILBERT DOCTOROW IN RUSSIA INSIDER
“Putin Is Soft. He Should Learn to Scare the West Like Khrushchev Did”
I understand the author's concerns, but I don't quite share them.
While Premier Khrushchev has long been a minor hero of mine - minor because there was too much blood on the hands of this otherwise brave and wily and often admirable leader - I don't think all of his public rhetoric was wise.
Of course, it is hard to judge. He faced a Pentagon that literally had drawn up plans for a massive first nuclear strike on the USSR. When the plans were presented to Kennedy, the President was quoted by an associate as saying he literally left the briefing room feeling sick to his stomach.
Putin faces an ugly self-made opponent, but so far, we have nothing quite that intense.
I admire Putin's ability to demonstrate openness and flexibility and calm in many hard situations. That is part of what makes him a great man, and I don’t lightly call him that. He seems the outstanding statesman of our era.
It is possible that sometimes he has been a little "soft" with a hyper-aggressive America, but the sheer fact that he has gained the respect of so many people abroad and is respected by many influential people shows that he is doing something right.
I do think there is something of Theodore Roosevelt’s famous saying in Putin, the saying about walk softly but carry a big stick. He has definitely, without squandering the vast amounts squandered by the Pentagon, overseen the supplying of Russia with formidable, ultra-modern weapons. They arrive at a time when America does seem hellbent on various complex forms of aggression.
He has bared his teeth occasionally, and when he does, it has a real impact owing to its being so different from his regular demeanor.
It is hard to judge from outside just what the balance should be, not knowing the details of many of the situations he must deal with.
But I think Russia and the world can be grateful he is around. The American establishment seems determined to demonstrate a whining lack of reason, and the comparison between the two affects very much even America's unfortunate allies over time. Smart people, allies or not, can tell America’s behavior is often just plain idiotic and dangerous.
