The Perpetual Tyranny of Vladimir Putin
In March, 2018, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was "chosen" to continue, for another term of six years, as the President of the Russian Federation, in a fixed election that was carried out under his own strong control, to serve his own dishonest purposes, with no chance whatsoever of there being any other outcome. It appears that Russia, having endured the hardships of a Bolshevik revolution, World War I, and World War II in the 20th century, has, in the first quarter of the 21st century, suffered the misfortune of being ruthlessly consumed by the savage ambition of one man.
In 1991, when President Mikhail Gorbachev's well-intentioned attempts to effect a host of broad reforms in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics resulted, contrarily, in the downfall of Soviet communism, it was widely imagined that capitalism would bring a better way of life to the Russian people. It did bring McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC, but whether those businesses should be viewed as offering a better way of life is subject to opinion. It also brought the crude ascension of Vladimir Putin, who now has taken up permanent residence in the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia, assuming the duties of either President or Prime Minister, since December 31, 1999, when he took over from President Boris Yeltsin, who had resigned. He rose to power the old-fashioned way, by means of corruption, brutality, and murder, which is not particularly surprising for a former Director of the Federal Security Service. (He has shown a special enmity toward journalists and activists who seek to uncover the truth about him, and is presumed to have approved the wanton killings of Anna Politkovskaya, Anastasia Baburova, Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, and others.)
Apart from Vladimir Putin's overtly malign qualities as a leader, he is, as a person, thoroughly laughable and completely transparent. In his general demeanor, he is fond of conveying a sullen disposition to coldhearted violence, as if daring anyone to challenge his sinister authority. His frequent boasts of physical strength, combined with his childish love of weaponry and his irrational loathing of homosexuals, are undeniable signs that, beneath his silly displays of rough masculinity, he is deeply uncertain regarding the credibility of his own manhood.
Given the surfeit of repugnant leaders in the world, it is not easy to stand out from the crowd, but Vladimir Putin has succeeded, if only because of his comic surliness. During his hardhanded tenure, he has clumsily projected a thin pretense of democracy, while comporting himself, in all matters, with the overbearing assurance of a tsar. He has waged a relentless war against the people of Chechnya, brazenly annexed the territory of Crimea, directed airstrikes against civilians in Syria, shamelessly catered to his corporate accomplices, openly tolerated the activities of Russian gangsters, and vigorously persecuted his adversaries.
Vladimir Putin is a figure of stubborn evil, a cutthroat villain whose perpetual tyranny constitutes both an unforgivable offense against the integrity of the Russian nation and, owing to the nuclear forces under his command, an unmistakable threat to the safety of humanity itself. As to the future, it seems the Russian public, being glumly accustomed to a condition of abject submission after a long history of oppressive rulers, is willing to accept his dictatorship, which means that his unwholesome reign is likely to continue for as long as he wants it to continue.
In 1991, when President Mikhail Gorbachev's well-intentioned attempts to effect a host of broad reforms in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics resulted, contrarily, in the downfall of Soviet communism, it was widely imagined that capitalism would bring a better way of life to the Russian people. It did bring McDonald's, Burger King, and KFC, but whether those businesses should be viewed as offering a better way of life is subject to opinion. It also brought the crude ascension of Vladimir Putin, who now has taken up permanent residence in the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia, assuming the duties of either President or Prime Minister, since December 31, 1999, when he took over from President Boris Yeltsin, who had resigned. He rose to power the old-fashioned way, by means of corruption, brutality, and murder, which is not particularly surprising for a former Director of the Federal Security Service. (He has shown a special enmity toward journalists and activists who seek to uncover the truth about him, and is presumed to have approved the wanton killings of Anna Politkovskaya, Anastasia Baburova, Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, and others.)
Apart from Vladimir Putin's overtly malign qualities as a leader, he is, as a person, thoroughly laughable and completely transparent. In his general demeanor, he is fond of conveying a sullen disposition to coldhearted violence, as if daring anyone to challenge his sinister authority. His frequent boasts of physical strength, combined with his childish love of weaponry and his irrational loathing of homosexuals, are undeniable signs that, beneath his silly displays of rough masculinity, he is deeply uncertain regarding the credibility of his own manhood.
Given the surfeit of repugnant leaders in the world, it is not easy to stand out from the crowd, but Vladimir Putin has succeeded, if only because of his comic surliness. During his hardhanded tenure, he has clumsily projected a thin pretense of democracy, while comporting himself, in all matters, with the overbearing assurance of a tsar. He has waged a relentless war against the people of Chechnya, brazenly annexed the territory of Crimea, directed airstrikes against civilians in Syria, shamelessly catered to his corporate accomplices, openly tolerated the activities of Russian gangsters, and vigorously persecuted his adversaries.
Vladimir Putin is a figure of stubborn evil, a cutthroat villain whose perpetual tyranny constitutes both an unforgivable offense against the integrity of the Russian nation and, owing to the nuclear forces under his command, an unmistakable threat to the safety of humanity itself. As to the future, it seems the Russian public, being glumly accustomed to a condition of abject submission after a long history of oppressive rulers, is willing to accept his dictatorship, which means that his unwholesome reign is likely to continue for as long as he wants it to continue.