Putin's Russia in Perspective
Part 1 of a multi-article series chronicling Vladimir Putin, the War in Ukraine and the recently attempted Russian Coup.
by Jon Kurpis
If there is one thing that we should all be able to agree on, it’s that the Covid pandemic exposed the fact that that the US government makes considerable errors, pushes narratives, and also deliberately lies to the public. Additionally, we witnessed how establishment politicians from both parties used cable news, social media, newspapers and big tech to censor information and pummel opposition. Anyone who stood in the way of their objectives or who dared to question their approved storyline was demonized and labeled a danger to society. Equally troubling was the fact that our leaders found it perfectly acceptable to partake in this conduct while the country was reeling from a global health crisis.
Now that the pandemic is behind us, America (the nation with the world’s 2nd largest nuclear arsenal) has recklessly provoked its way into a dangerous new proxy-war with Russia (the nation with the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet.) As serious as Covid was globally, potential nuclear annihilation (however small) poses a much more significant risk to the people of the world. If there was ever a time when it would behoove Americans to have a clear and truthful understanding of Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, it is now.
In order to get an accurate depiction of President Putin and what is currently happening in Russia (including the recently attempted Coup), we must acknowledge the fact that Western (American and European) information brokers (Government, Media, Big Tech, Universities and NGO’s) have proven to be inaccurate and reliably unreliable. It’s therefore disconcerting that the same government officials, thought leaders and journalists who insisted on pushing a faulty Covid narrative and who lied us into a murderous war in Iraq are also the same people who we are now counting on for truthful information about Vladimir Putin and Russia.
Being that Americans require accurate information in order to avoid potentially supporting policies that could lead us into nuclear Armageddon, and the establishment consistently lies to us, it is imperative to analyze this situation in a manner beyond the mainstream sources of information. This entails embracing all perspectives, deep diving into Russian history and focusing on the acquisition of an objective understanding of who Vladimir Putin is versus who he isn’t. It also involves understanding Russia as a nation; and deciphering to the best of our ability what actually happened in the recent Russian Coup attempt.
This multi-article series will cover these topics and give readers an accurate and unique assessment of these important subjects.
To truly understand any leader, it is essential to have a firm appreciation of his/her childhood and general upbringing. It’s often the case that lessons and ordeals experienced in their past correlate to the way they handle important issues as a head of state. This is undoubtedly the case for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin was born in 1952 and grew up in the rat-infested slums of Leningrad, Russia (now St. Petersburg). Although his parents were loving, the bleak economy afforded them little free time to spend with young Vladimir as they were forced to work long hours just to keep themselves afloat.
Generally speaking, the Putin’s (like most families in the area) were traumatized by what they endured during WWII. Their city was the location of a brutal three-year siege by the Nazis and over a million people died. Putin’s father was severely wounded in the war and his mother nearly died of starvation. Putin’s two older brothers both succumbed to war related maladies (diphtheria and starvation). These traumas understandably gave Vladimir Putin and his parents a hatred for Nazis, an aversion to warfare unless absolutely necessary, and a desire to see an economically stable Russia.
After completing high school, Vladimir Putin decided to continue his education and went on to obtain a law degree. It was after his law school graduation that Putin, along with one hundred classmates, were chosen to join the infamous KGB. It was also at this time that an independent-minded Putin was required to join the Communist Party.
As a member of the KGB, Putin wasn’t particularly gifted and was certainly nothing like the James Bond villian that the West paints him to be. He was however extremely hard working, loyal and trustworthy. Putin was also good diplomatically and this allowed him to continue on with the KGB for fifteen years, eventually attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
When the USSR fell in 1991, Putin immediately quit the KGB and Communist Party. He soon went into politics and was appointed Head of the Committee for International Relations by the Mayor of St. Petersburg. In 1997, Putin received his PhD in Economics with a focus on strategic planning for the mineral economy. In 1998, Yeltsin appointed Putin to be the Director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) which was the successor to the KGB. In August 1999, Putin, who was not associated with any political party, was appointed and approved as the Prime Minister of Russia. On December 31st, 1999, Boris Yeltsin resigned unexpectedly making Prime Minister Putin the acting President of Russia. Less than four months later, Vladimir Putin won the Presidency in a Special Election and has served in that position or as Prime Minister ever since. Other than Joseph Stalin, no other Kremlin leader has continuously served the people as long as Vladimir Putin has in Russia.
In addition to understanding Putin’s background, it is also imperative to understand the state of Russia at the time he came into power.
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the decade that followed was a dark and humiliating time for the Russian people. Although Communism wasn’t particularly popular, being a recognized Super Power was an immense source of pride to the Russians and it was devastating when they lost that status. And as bad as that embarrassment was for the people, what replaced the USSR in the 1990’s was even worse.
Russians who lived through the post Soviet 1990’s witnessed their once powerful nation descend into chaos. Their economy fell off a cliff. Ruthless gangsters (i.e. oligarchs) seized entire industries with brute force. What the West hailed as decentralization and progress was, in essence, lawlessness. The electoral system was unimaginably corrupt and Russia’s international reputation plummeted to nearly 3rd world status. Adding insult to injury, the nation was being led by Boris Yeltsin, who by all accounts was a corrupt, inept, drunkard who slurred his way through speeches and let the country free fall into geopolitical irrelevance.
When Yeltsin stepped down in late 1999 and Vladimir Putin took the helm, one could not have foreseen the impact he would have on the country. In fact, things had become so bad at that time that many experts thought Putin might only last a few months as President. Nobody, and certainly not an inexperienced Vladimir Putin, would be capable of fixing the seemingly insurmountable problems the nation faced. As history now shows, Putin would prove everybody wrong.
President Putin, like all elected officials, has a public record of initiatives that spanned more than two continuous decades. Investigating this record is critical to gain further insight into the man that America designates as our nation’s enemy.
President Putin’s record of governance can be divided into 4 Major Categories:
1. Law and Order
2. Economic Growth and Stability
3. Military Reform
4. Diplomatic Relations
All four of these areas were completely broken and corrupted when President Putin came to power. In order for Russia to function properly and regain its international power and status, Putin understood that each area had to be fixed. It is therefore interesting to see how President Putin went about reforming each of these massive systemic problems.
Law and Order
Being educated as a lawyer, President Putin was well aware that the legal decentralization that occurred under Yeltsin was a disaster for the country. The main problem was that Yeltsin allowed for local laws to be enacted that conflicted with federal laws. This created a massive gray area where lawlessness and corruption were able to thrive. When Putin came to power, he harmonized the Russian legal environment by eradicating every new local law that conflicted with federal laws. Once the gray area was eliminated, Putin approached the ruling oligarchs and cut deals that allowed them to keep their fortunes, but also made it clear that it would be impossible for them to operate in the manner by which they had in the 1990’s. As a result, Russian oligarchs took their business to Europe and America or other nations where corruption was still viable. President Putin’s legal strategy worked and law and order was properly instituted across Russia.
Economic Growth and Stability
Having a PhD in Economics, President Putin knew that the post Soviet economy was broken and unsustainable. Under Boris Yeltsin, the Russian economy saw a bigger drop in GDP than America experienced in the 1930’s. And in August 1998, a market crash occurred and taught future President Putin that a financial crisis is politically destabilizing and must be avoided at all costs.
In order to jump start the dismal Russian economy, Putin undertook a number of proactive measures. He re-nationalized sectors of the economy that were stolen by oligarchs and reinvigorated unused manufacturing capacity. Putin also slashed taxes for small and mid-sized businesses and implemented a 13% flat income tax. Putin’s economic measures were a resounding success, especially in his first term. The Russian economy grew 7% per year and real disposable income doubled between 1999 and 2006.
Military Reform
If there is one aspect of Putin’s record that naysayers could take issue with, it’s his military reform efforts. That said, it’s helpful to look at where the Russian military was when Putin came into power versus where it is today.
When Putin became President, the Russian military was in complete disarray and unfit to serve or protect the nation. Putin’s generic goal was to modernize the military, maintain Russia’s nuclear deterrent and pushback against the Eastern expansion of NATO. Objectively speaking, Putin has achieved all that and more. And although the road has been long and arduous, the Russian military currently has the world’s best missile defense system, the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, the world’s second largest nuclear submarine fleet and hypersonic missles that can sink an aircraft carrier. In terms of current military production, Russia produces more ammunition, more tanks and more heavy weaponry than the United States and all of Europe combined. Have there been embarrassing military hiccups under President Putin? Absolutely! But considering what Putin was given and how he’s turned it around, you would be hard pressed to find a more effective leader in regards to military growth and achievement.
Diplomatic Relations
As President of Russia, Vladimir Putin reversed the steep post-Soviet downward trajectory and re-established Russia as a power player who is relevant on the world stage. With a leadership approach that closely resembles a Tsar as opposed to a Communist dictator, Putin has taken steps to concentrate his power at home while also strengthening Russia’s relations abroad. With the help of his immensely capable Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, Putin has built important relationships with China, India, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, UAE, Iran, Brazil, Syria, Venezuela, Belarus, South Africa and approx thirty African nations in the Global South. As a result of Putin’s leadership, Russia is currently viewed outside the collective West as a fair, non-exploitive trading partner, a country that keeps its word and a nation who has proven to be stable by weathering US and European sanctions both economicly and politically.
At this point, readers should be getting the sense that President Putin’s actual record and leadership style is not inline with the Western media’s current narrative about him. While Putin is far from perfect, he’s definetly not the weak, mad, impulsive, maniacal thug that we are currently told he is. At the bare minimum, President Putin is an educated, competent, stable leader with an immense record of accomplishments to back that assessment up.
Strangely, it was not so long ago that the American press also was honest in their assessment of Putin. For example, Putin’s undeniable success as President was formally acknowledged in 2007 when TIME Magazine selected him for their coveted Man of the Year Award. In fact, the TIME Magazine article announcing his selection stated:
“Putin has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power.”
“He cares about stability…stability is what Russia needed and that’s why Russians adore him.”
“Russia has re-emerged as a constructive and reliable partner in shaping international relations under Putin’s leadership.”
And TIME Magazine wasn’t the only Western outlet to acknowledge Putin’s successful leadership.
Forbes Magazine also compiled an annual list of the World’s Most Powerful People from 2009-2018. Vladimir Putin was selected for inclusion every single year which is a feat that no American President has been able to accomplish. Furthermore, President Putin was selected as the World’s Most Powerful Person more times than anyone else and was the only person to be ranked #1 four years in a row. Forbes, like TIME Magazine, is widely respected and in no way a pro-Russian publication. The fact that they chose to honor President Putin above everyone else on the planet over and over again is a testament to his competency and success as a leader.
So why the false narrative?
Supposing you were told that as Prime Minister, Putin conspired to start a violent regime change revolution in a foreign nation. Once it was underway, he gleefully watched via video as the leader of that country was hunted down, sodomized and murdered. On top of that, supposed you learned that hundreds of Putin’s enemies died under truly bizarre circumstances and that he used intelligence agencies to covertly spy on political opponents during his election campaign.
Now what if you were also told that President Putin lied to start a different war to avenge a personal family vendetta. And during that needless war, more than a million innocent people died. Lastly, suppose you learned that the only reason Putin was allowed to perpetuate the deadly conflict was because his second-in-command profited off the operation.
If true, this would be incredibly alarming and the type of behavior that should permanently disqualify anyone from holding public office. But considering what the government and media has told us about Vladimir Putin, it certainly would not be out of the range of possibility.
Now what if I told you that this grotesque, politically disqualifying personal behavior wasn’t from Vladamir Putin, but was a factual account of Hillary Clinton’s and former President George W. Bush’s antics.
It was Hillary Clinton's decision to regime change Libya without just cause. And it was Clinton who gleefully watched as Muammar Gaddafi was sodomized and murdered. Moreover, hundreds of Clinton enemies have died mysteriously and it was Clinton’s campaign who utilized the FBI to spy on her opponent.
Moreover, it was President Bush who lied us into a war to settle a family vendetta and a million innocent Iraqi’s needlessly died. And it was President Bush’s second-in-command Vice President Dick Cheney who allowed it to happen so he could profit from the war.
The point of all this is to demonstrate how easy it has become for a disturbing narrative to be falsely attributed to a foreign leader when the West makes it their mission to do so.
From an impartial analysis of Putin’s very long and public record, we can be absolutely certain that the current narrative pushed about his leadership and Russia is false. It’s nothing more than dangerous disinformation pushed by our leaders through the media and it is literally leading our country and the world towards potential nuclear war.
For those of you wondering what incentive the American establishment might have to perpetuate such egregious myths and lies about foreign leaders, the answer is staring us right in the face.
If political elites such as Hillary Clinton and President Bush have the pernicious record described above and were allowed to dominate American politics, then any foreign leader with even a slighty less destructive past would benefit from the geopolitical moral highground over America and the greater Collective West. For proponents of the rules-based world order, this would be in effect the first nail in the American hegemonic coffin and they will not let that happen.
Globalists believe it's in their interest to ensure other strong world leaders are perceived as even worse than their own flawed politicians. The elites must upkeep the illusion of American Exceptionalism because it’s essential to maintaining their imperialistic ways. That means a President like Vladimir Putin can never be honestly depicted for fear that he will be seen as more ethical than Western leaders. Along with covering for leaders at the top of the pyramid, the political establishment and media also go to great effort to ensure that Putin’s record with Military Reform, Law and Order, Economics and Diplomacy never outshines our own Defense, Justice, Treasury or State Departments. And with this as their prime objective, the false Putin narratives are created and regurgitated until the public believes them to be true.
Could there be any other motive for the Collective West to lie about President Vladimir Putin?
Yes there is. Putin has also committed the one unforgivable sin that enrages neoliberals, globalists, and establishment elites more than anything else.
He is a family oriented, conservative Christian leader who does not agree with the woke agenda especially when it comes to the indoctrination of children.
In a recent speech, Putin said:
"Now they (America) have completely moved to a radical denial of moral norms, religion, and family...do we want to have, here, in our country, in Russia, parent number one, number two, number three instead of mom and dad – have they gone mad out there?
Do we really want perversions that lead to degradation and extinction to be imposed on children in our schools from the primary grades?
To be drummed into them that there are various supposed genders besides women and men, and to be offered a sex change operation?
Do we want all this for our country and our children?
For us, all this is unacceptable, we have a different future, our own future.”
At the end of the day, Collective West leaders are just as corrupt or even worse than leaders in other nations. And for the right person who tows their line, the establishment will turn a blind eye and allow egregious acts of injustice to occur.
But the one thing that they will never be ok with is a leader who pushes back against their woke agenda, especially in regards to children.
President Putin has made it clear that neither he nor the Russian people are on board with it. That makes them both public enemy number #1 and with that comes the damaging lies, false narratives and dangerous rhetoric.
Now that you understand who Vladimir Putin is and what Russia is all about, you may be beginning to wonder about what is actually happening in Ukraine, the reasons for the Special Military Operation and the story behind the recent Russian coup. Well it just so happens that those topics and more will be covered in the other parts of Putin’s Russia in Perspective. Stay tuned!
~ Jon Kurpis
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