It is important to understand what Putin represents. Putin is not a Stalin who feels obliged to destroy anyone who might potentially at some future point disagree with him. Putin is somebody who wants to amass the power needed to accomplish his immediate task. Therefore we do not observe a general assault on civil liberties. We do see the infringement of civil liberties of groups who, in his view, threaten the regime. The process is uneven. Television is controlled; newspapers are substantially free. But the idea that America has the power to change Russia's domestic structure by threats is an invitation to permanent crisis.
For Americans it's hard to get into the Russian psyche. If you take the great Russian reformers, like Peter the Great or Catherine the Great, they were very autocratic at home and yet progressive by contemporary Western standards. Catherine the Great had close relations with the philosophes. Peter the Great lived in Europe for a year and constantly sent missions to Europe. Yet internally they thought Russia had to be organized so that the maximum abilities of the society could be concentrated on the state. If you look at Putin in this context, he thinks he is a reformer. He probably will be considered a seminal figure in his country's history, but he is not a democrat.
How will he be rated? Too early to tell. Certainly as significant. Great? Well, we'll have to see. A leader becomes great if he institutionalizes a system, if it doesn't become totally dependent on one person. It remains to be seen whether Putin is able to do that.
Наш Президент! Соратник мой и брат!
Для молодежи пламенный наставник,
Неутомимо бьет, любя, в набат,
Несет свой крест возвышенный исправно.
Единоверец, творческий полет
Ему присущ.» Он эталон отваги.
Он с каждым днем настойчиво ведет
Русь к утвержденью под трехцветным флагом.
............
«Ждем ярких лиц из регионов», -
Сказал наш Президент в Кремле.
И на него смотрю влюбленно,
И верю, будет на земле
Надежд на счастье воплощенье,
Коль будут думать все, как он.
Придет стихии укрощение.
И рычаги для управления
Мы создадим. И на поклон,
Нет, не пойдем к чужому дяде.
Потенциал в России есть.
И пусть в сенаторском отряде
Его души ликует песнь.
И с ним согласна я. Виктория
От ярких лиц вперед идет.
Они творцы большой истории,
Они торопят жизни ход.
Они ведут вперед народ.
Они огнем, душою пламенной
Находят главное звено
И убеждают в Белокаменной
Найти заветное зерно.
Froggy писал(а):друзья мои, возрадуйтесь и прикоснитесь к прекрасному. специально для биркина и юрия №64 стЕхи (и еще на радость данингу)
... бред опущен....
