Theme: See No Evil
How the West failed to understand the true nature of Putin's government https://www.svoboda.org/a/putinizm-kak-vysshaya-stadiya-chekizma/31617405.html Mikhail Sokolov: Why are many in the West not inclined to see the Putin regime as an existential threat to the West in the classical sense, as it was seen in the regime of, for example, Stalin after World War II and in general in this whole communist totalitarian regime? What makes you treat this system in a conciliatory manner, whether personalistic, or, in your opinion, the system of state security? Yuri Felshtinsky: First of all, as I have already said, the management system created in Russia is the first experience in history. In the history of the world there were no cases when the state security controlled the state. Frankly, no one simply understands what is happening in Russia. They look at this strange country run by some strange people who don't know what they want. It seems that, on the one hand, they want money, and they are corrupt ... But, on the other hand, it turns out that they don’t care about money either, because what they do is at a loss to the country economically, and even at a loss them financially. Therefore, from the point of view of the West, the events taking place in Russia are absolutely irrational, and the West is rational. Therefore, there is such a serious philosophical misunderstanding of Russia by the West. George Robinson, ex NATO Chief, On meeting Putin after 9/11. "It as clear that Russia was in complete solidarity with the USA... after they had their own problems with terrible domestic terrorism" i.e. he had no inkling that the FSBs relationship to terrorism was ... complicated Advice to Putin now: "NATO & the West is not a challenge to you, your position, or to your country" i.e. he doesn't realise that Russia Imperialism believes the world is disordered unless Russia is dominant. NATO & USA, by existing, is always a challenge to that view.
Events
- March 10, 2000 Tony Blair attends St Petersburg Ballet with Putin
- March 18, 2001 Gennady Gudkov elected to Duma
- June 17, 2001 George Bush looks in Putin's eyes and gets a sense of his soull
- Sept. 9, 2001 Putin tells Bush Ahmad Shah Massoud assassinated
- Sept. 12, 2001 Putin phones Bush after 9-11 -Solidarity in War on Terror
- June 24, 2003 Putin visits Queen on state visit to UK
- Nov. 4, 2003 John McCain gives speech asserting FSB responsibility for the 1999 bombings
- July 6, 2007 UK expels 4 Russian diplomats after Litvinenko poisoning
- March 6, 2009 Hilary Clinton announces Russia "Reset" in Geneva with Lavrov
- July 12, 2013 UK Government Refuses to open Litvinenko Inquiry
- Feb. 11, 2014 UK court overrules government decision not to hold Litvinenko inquiry
- March 20, 2018 Litvinenko's father shares sofa with Lugovoi on Russian chat show
- June 14, 2018 Football World Cup opens in Russia, England team attending