This is the most accurate estimation of Vladimir Putin that I have seen in American media, and why US conservatives should love him. He is one of them in many respects.
The Unz Review
Examining the Hatred of Vladimir Putin and Russia — A Conservative Analysis
Boyd D. Cathey
Boyd D. Cathey holds a doctorate in European intellectual history from the Catholic University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, where he was a Richard Weaver Fellow, and an MA in American intellectual history from the University of Virginia (as a Jefferson Fellow). He was assistant to conservative author and philosopher the late Russell Kirk. In more recent years he served as Registrar of the North Carolina Division of Archives and History. He has published in French, Spanish, and English on historical subjects as well as classical music and opera. He is active in the Sons of Confederate Veterans and various historical, archival, and genealogical organizations. Small sections of this article were originally published on the Communities Digital News website, April 16, 2014.
4 comments:
Next up: examining the hatred of Hitler and the Third Reich.
Well, the piece starts off OK in the parts detailing Putin's personal background, geopolitical outlook and political beliefs, but then veers off into the nutty with its rants against the liberal assault on family values. Also, the author's contention that the neoconservatives were dedicated to the aggressive promotion of "liberal democracy" and "equality" is laughable, and bespeaks deep ignorance about what the neoconservative movement is all about.
Cathey could easily be describing American culture about twenty or so years ago. Russia and Putin aren't keen on veering into our culture of anything goes--at least not overnight like happened here (oh, and neither am I). That's pretty much a solid conservative axiom, which desires common cultural themes, especially in the sphere of "family values". If it's the left's contention that there are no objective family values, then I fail to see why they get their collective panties in a bunch over Russia's desire to maintain its historical identity along these lines? Family/culture is all relative. Right?
Cathey could easily be describing American culture about twenty or so years ago. Russia and Putin aren't keen on veering into our culture of anything goes--at least not overnight like happened here (oh, and neither am I).
I would say pre-countercultural revolution of the '60's and '70's, to which there was a conservative reaction in the Reagan '80's.
Russia is similar to the US of the '50's. It's generally very traditional, I.e., conservative other than Moscow and St. Petersburg where there are Westernized liberal cohorts. Putin actually emerged from this cohort and came to realize that if he wanted to retain power in Moscow he needed to switch horses and align himself with the vast majority of Russians that are traditional and fiercely Russian rather than liberals looking West, which is just a small % of the population although more influential than its numbers. There is likely as least as large a monarchist (czarist) faction as a Western liberal one. Moreover, most Russian regard Russia as the center of Slavic culture and its protector. They adhere to Slavic exceptionalism as much as Americans do to American exceptionalism.
From what I gather Putin bridges the Western liberal cohort and the Slavic traditionalist cohorts. He is a Western looking Russian traditionalist that sees Russia's natural alliance being European. Russia and France have been cultural allies for centuries and Russia political allies are in central Europe, Both Russia and Germany know than an alliance between them would give the a huge power base, technology and resources from which to operate and counterbalance the other great powers — US and Britain, China in Asia, and India in Southeast Asia. Of course, this is just about the worst nightmare of the US.
In fact, Russia is now proposing that Europe's future lies east rather than West and Putin has just offered a free trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok. With Russia's deepening relations with China, this economic arrangement would bury the US as global hegemon with its combined economic power. Putin is also proposing that all countries treat each other as equals.
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