Reply #81: Why should Putin grant us any concessions? [View All]

[JVS]

We were all sweetness and light to them in the early nineties, saying "Reform your economy and all will be good." They followed the advice and it wrought havoc, killing millions. Yeltsin's regime was the worst thing to happen in Russia since the German invasion of 1941. While people starved, froze, and died we offered no help, only worthless advice. Putin is incredibly popular in Russia because (although in authoritarian style) he has presided over a turn-around for their population. Is he to be credited for this? Probably not. The biggest factor in Russia's turn-around is probably the huge increase in oil and natural gas prices of the last several years. But for a population that has experiencd 20 years of decline, his regime is something better. Meanwhile NATO and EU encroachment on Russia's territory has inflammed attitudes. Clinton's comment feeds into this, and it does not intimidate Putin because in conflict like this most Russians would prefer to stand up to the West.