JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: THE MATTER OF PUTIN'S STAYING ON IN RUSSIA - I'M OPPOSED TO "LIFETIME" LEADERS UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES ARE ANYTHING BUT NORMAL - I'M GLAD IF THIS GIFTED STATESMAN CAN CONTINUE MAKING A CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING - ESPECIALLY WHEN IT MEANS HE CAN WORK WITH A MAN OF XI'S SUPERB ABILITIES IN CHINA, RUSSIA'S NOW-INDISPENSABLE ALLY

John Chuckman


COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE BY GILBERT DOCTOROW IN ANTI-EMPIRE (FORMERLY, CHECKPOINT ASIA)


“[Putin] staying on would fly in the face of everything he has been saying for years”


I don't agree with the analysis.

Were conditions in the world more normal, I would agree. I don't favor "lifetime" leaders.

But conditions are not normal, not all, and they are being deliberately and dangerously manipulated by the US, and on many fronts – the Baltics, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Iran, and China (Russia's indispensable partner now), plus still others

It makes aggressive economic war against many states and threatens genuine war.

There is a clear threat to Putin's primary goal - that of seeing Russia enjoy decades of peaceful economic growth to repair its many scars and wounds.

The author believes the legislative arrangements were "well-choreographed in advance"

Who cares? The goals are not evil. They indeed are the opposite.

Most Americans have no idea about what Russia went through after the collapse of the USSR. It was literally the Great Depression all over again.

And then, instead of helping, America worked against its interests in many ways.

It is still doing so, but now with open hostility and threats.

Putin is a proven statesman, extraordinarily capable, and he definitely commands the respect of much of the world, including a good many Americans.

Literally, only China's Xi is his match for sharp, quiet intelligence and far-sightedness and respect for other societies. It is a good thing, for everyone, if they can continue to work together some extra years.