When Putin become president of Russia in 2000, these were his 10 principles.
1. Russia must be secure against attack and intimidation.
2. The country with the greatest material ability for intimidating or attacking Russia is the United States.
1. Russia must be secure against attack and intimidation.
2. The country with the greatest material ability for intimidating or attacking Russia is the United States.
3. For the sake of security, countries bordering Russia must serve as buffers against the West; that is, they cannot be aligned with the United States.
4. Russia should be prosperous—for the sake of prosperity itself, as a necessary element in achieving security,
4. Russia should be prosperous—for the sake of prosperity itself, as a necessary element in achieving security,
and for Putin's personal political survival.
5. Development of natural resources especially energy, is Russia's clearest path to prosperity.
6. In addition to paying the bills for security (chiefly military expenditures), energy exports support Russia's security by drawing
5. Development of natural resources especially energy, is Russia's clearest path to prosperity.
6. In addition to paying the bills for security (chiefly military expenditures), energy exports support Russia's security by drawing
customer countries into quasi-dependence, disposing them to defer to Russia in international matters. Quasi-dependence is especially desirable in countries that border Russia or are near it.
7. Russian dominance in energy-related industries—refining, processing,
7. Russian dominance in energy-related industries—refining, processing,
shipping—reinforces quasi-dependence, at least for some countries. It gives Russia the power to withhold a needed service from a target country or from the target country's other suppliers of oil, gas, or uranium.
8. Speedy development of energy resources requires outside capital and technology, so foreign partners are welcome. But because energy production is part of a strategy for security, energy industries must be under the control of the Russian government.
9. Russia's position as an energy exporter implies that disruption of energy production anywhere outside of Russia works to Russia's advantage. In particular, turmoil in the Middle East is always to Russia's advantage or can be turned to it.
10. Because the United States is the country with the greatest ability to intimidate or attack Russia, anything that weakens the United States leaves Russia more secure. On that principle, Russia should subvert the dollar's position as the world's reserve currency,
and for that purpose should subvert the petrodollar system.
It's a plan that has already produced results. Putin is a man of remarkable intelligence, determination, and ruthlessness. In the eyes of many Russians, that last quality is not a fault but a virtue.
It's a plan that has already produced results. Putin is a man of remarkable intelligence, determination, and ruthlessness. In the eyes of many Russians, that last quality is not a fault but a virtue.
While western media paint him as a cold-blooded dictator, Russians see him as a man's man who restored their country's pride, economy, and position after a humiliating period they'd rather forget. If getting it done required trampling the rights of a few citizens
and knocking heads among the country's new capitalist class, well, nothing's free.
Excerpt From
The Colder War
Katusa, Marin.
Excerpt From
The Colder War
Katusa, Marin.
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