Two Sides of the Coin – Vladimir Putin
Jane Drummond and Daniel Ward pass judgment on the man charged with reviving the Cold War rivalry.
HEADS
Putin ... a harbinger of stability?
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Vladimir Putin’s grandfather was the personal cook for Lenin and Stalin. Following the collapse of the USSR, Russia has emerged from political instability and economic ruin to assume its position as a world leader once more – a clear recipe for global success. Putin, as former Russian president and current Prime Minister, is criticised for taking stances in opposition to the policies of Western governments; but a closer look reveals encouraging results from this former KGB spy’s time in office.
A great achievement of Putin’s leadership has been the bringing of stability to a country considered a chaotic basket-case merely a decade ago. While this stability has come at the loss of some political freedoms, it appears that most Russians approve of the trade-off, rewarding Putin at the polls for taking these steps.
And despite remaining unfathomably cold, Russian living standards have drastically improved under Putin. Russia ended 2007 with its ninth consecutive year of growth, averaging 7 per cent annually since 1998. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. This becomes even more significant when one considers the years of Soviet stagnation preceding Putin’s reign.
“A great achievement of Putin’s leadership has been the bringing of stability to a country considered a chaotic basket-case merely a decade ago.”
In June 2007, Putin’s approval rating was 81 per cent – the highest of any leader in the world. Putin’s political supremacy can only be matched by his formidable martial arts skills: he holds a black belt in Judo, has published a book on Judo and is best known for his Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw). Contemplate that one next time you decide to speak out, George.
Putin’s achievements have restored a sense of pride among citizens – a revival with significant global implications. It is difficult to argue with the fact that in Putin’s reign, under a strict regime making the most of available energy reserves, Russia has developed a sizeable political muscle. Therefore, on diplomatic issues, Russia now offers alternatives to America’s waning strength, helping wrestle deals in North Korea, the Middle East and Iran. Perhaps the critics are simply afraid of a little competition in the playground.
Jane Drummond is in her third year of a combined degree in Law and Commerce, majoring in Economics.
TAILS
To see Vladimir Putin for what he is, you need not look to the numbers of journalists who criticised him and are now dead. You can also ignore his pulverisation of Grozny, and the likelihood that the pretext for Putin’s brutal campaign in Chechnya – the Moscow apartment bombings of 1999 – was confected by Russian security services.
Just judge the man by his own stated aspirations.
Putin sought to establish a ‘dictatorship of the law’ and establish ‘sovereign democracy’. His Western fan club, apparently missing the irony in these slogans, has praised Putin for being true to his word, replacing the chaos of Yeltsin’s presidency with stability. True, Putin looks better than Yeltsin when fishing topless, and probably dances better too. But he has done little to strengthen the Russian state.
“To see Vladimir Putin for what he is, you need not look to the numbers of journalists who criticised him and are now dead … Just judge the man by his own stated aspirations.”
As President, Putin applied the law arbitrarily, using it against political opponents while sparing his cronies. While Mikhail Khodorkovsky rots in prison, a fellow oligarch, Roman Abramovich, was until recently the Governor of a Russian district.
The difference between the two? The difference is that Khodorkovsky posed a political threat to Putin, while Abramovich played ball (quite literally, as owner of Chelsea football club). Furthermore, Khodorkovsky owned the energy giant Yukos, which Putin wanted under state control.
The same arbitrariness exists in the level of autonomy enjoyed by Russia’s regional governors. Putin claimed that he wanted to unify Russia under one ‘legal space’, to eliminate tax havens and loopholes. But all that has been eliminated are those governors whose loyalty to Putin was doubtful.
“As President, Putin applied the law arbitrarily, using it against political opponents while sparing his cronies.”
None of this has strengthened the state. It has merely conjured the chimera of short-term stability. Dictatorship – yes. Law – not so much.
Nevertheless, Western sympathisers continue to marvel at the national pride that he has restored. Pride in what, one might ask? Military equipment that dates back to Stalin? A nuclear arsenal that has gone walkabout?
Can they be proud of Russia’s newfound international prominence, as former parts of its disintegrated empire fall over themselves to join NATO and the American sphere? One gets the sense that they have tasted ‘sovereign democracy’ and now want a change of diet.
At a time when Putin could have used his economic luck, he chose instead to shore up his own regime. You do not need to judge him by Western human rights standards to see Putin for what he is: a KGB-style fraud.
Daniel Ward is in his third year of an Arts (Advanced) degree, majoring in Government and International Relations and Music.
