Putin the Great?

I don’t know if it’s the incompetence and lack of foreign policy by the Obama/Bush Administrations, but Vladimir Putin always comes out on top.  The U.S. has constantly tried to undermine Putin but the ex-KGB officer out maneuvers the U.S. President on every issue.

Who is Putin?  According to Wikipedia:

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, born 7 October 1952 has been the President of Russia since 7 May 2012. He previously served as President from 2000 to 2008, and as Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012. During that last term as Prime Minister, he was also the Chairman of the United Russia political party…

Dmitry Medvedev won the 2008 presidential election and appointed Putin as Prime Minister, beginning a period of so-called "tandemocracy".[1] In September 2011, following a change in the law extending the presidential term from four years to six, Putin announced that he would seek a third, non-consecutive term as President in the 2012 presidential election, an announcement which led to large-scale protests in many Russian cities. He won the election in March 2012 and is serving a six-year term.

So Putin moved up the Russian ladder slowly and methodically.  But what I found most interesting about Putin is the condition of his country under his tutelage.  He served as president from 2000 to 2008, the same period of time that George W. Bush was President of the United States. 

During Putin's first premiership and presidency (1999–2008), real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5, real wages more than tripled; unemployment and poverty more than halved, and the Russians' self-assessed life satisfaction rose significantly. Putin's first presidency was marked by high economic growth: the Russian economy grew for eight straight years, seeing GDP increase by 72% in PPP (sixfold in nominal).

Wow, Putin’s Russia sounds like the United States prior to deregulation of the Wall Street banks and endless wars of aggression.

Putin has cultivated a "he-man" and "super hero" image and is a pop cultural icon in Russia with many commercial products named after him.

And this is the most striking:

He is currently ranked as the world's most powerful person according to Forbes.[16]

I wonder who the number 2 most powerful person in the world is; my guess is Jamie Dimon. And how is the European Union’s economy doing with Central Banks running their governments? 

From Press TV:

 Video:

EU favors bankrupt banks over homeless: Shakespeare

European governments prefer depositing their money into bankrupt banks to financing housing for millions of homeless across the continent, an analyst tells Press TV in an interview.

Shakespeare highlighted “the mal-adjustment of the economy with the rich-poor division” as the main cause of the problem.

“I’m afraid, I don’t see any of the politicians at the moment actually addressing the situation,” he said.

According to The Guardian report, there are over 3.4 million vacant homes only in Spain. France and Italy come next, with each reporting about 2 million of such houses.

There are also some 1.8 million and 700,000 vacant residences across Germany and the UK, respectively.

According to statistics by the European Union, there are currently about 4.1 million homeless people across Europe.

The continent plunged into a financial crisis in early 2008. The worsening debt crisis has forced the EU governments to adopt harsh austerity measures and tough economic reforms.

Yes, the central banks of the world bankrupted the governments of the European Union and to continue their plundering, the governments must adopt “harsh austerity measures”.  Looks like the predators need new feeding grounds.

So what did Ukraine have to gain by ousting their President for rejecting the European Union Model?  Nothing. 

The same neoconservative politicians and strategists that drove the country to war against Iraq in 2003, against Libya in 2011 and nearly against Syria in 2013 have been neck-deep in a protracted regime change effort in Ukraine as part of a larger geo-strategic struggle against Russia. The fact that they have worked hand in glove with armed neo-Nazis in Ukraine—with Sen. John McCain and Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland literally joining the protests—speaks volumes about the political nature of the events.

The Maiden protest movement was launched in Kiev in November 2013 when Ukrainian President Yanukovych rejected a European Union economic plan that would have imposed a harsh austerity regime on Ukraine as the price for admission into the economic sphere dominated by German banks. 

The U.S. and E.U.-backed street protests, supported most fervently by neoconservative elements inside and outside the Obama administration, began when Yanukovych instead accepted a $15 billion loan from Russia and an economic plan that did not require austerity measures but did include discounted prices for Russian natural gas.

Now, that’s interesting.  The people in Ukraine preferred a central banker to plunder all the wealth and resources over an elected leader that opted for a $15 billion dollar loan from Russia that did not require austerity measures but did include discounted prices for Russian natural gas.  I wonder why the people of Ukraine preferred homelessness, hunger and unemployment enough to go to the streets and removed their elected leader.  

The new coup-led government was selected by a rump session of the parliament when many elected members could not show up to vote for fear of physical attack. It is filled with fascist and semi-fascist forces, as well as powerful billionaire oligarchs. The fascist forces promote hatred toward Russians, Jews, Poles and other minorities.

Why would the people of Ukraine want a new government filled with powerful billionaire oligarchs and fascist forces who promote hatred toward Russians, Jews, Poles and other minorities?

The right-wing coup government in Ukraine is trying to integrate the country into an E.U./IMF-sponsored austerity regime that will lead to the deep impoverishment of the Ukrainian working classes. The tremendous resources of Ukraine are seen as a huge prize for the enrichment of the biggest banks and corporations in Western Europe and the United States. 

These resources include major deposits of coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel and uranium. It holds the largest sulfur and second-largest mercury reserves in the world, and vast, rich agricultural lands and forests.  In addition, Ukraine has large-scale heavy industry, particularly in the eastern part of the country.

Bingo, Ukraine is see as a “huge prize for the enrichment of the biggest banks and corporations in Western Europe and the United States.  Sounds ripe for the taking.  So Ukraine rejected going down the EU poop chute and now a banking cabal has overthrown their elected government.  What’s a little fascism between friends?

Putin has remained a thorn in the side of the worst U.S. President in the history of the United States.  It’s funny that the new Pope, Pope Francis has embraced Putin as the peacemaker and rejected Nobel Peace Prize Winner Obama as the war monger.  According to the Catholic News Agency, in November 2013 Pope Francis met with Vladimir Putin.

Pope Francis had sent a letter to Putin on Sept. 3, saying that “the leaders of the G20 cannot remain indifferent to the dramatic situation of the beloved Syrian people which has lasted far too long, and even risks bringing greater suffering to a region bitterly tested by strife and needful of peace.”

At the time, a military intervention to Syria seemed unavoidable, and Pope Francis called a day of fasting and prayer on Sept. 5.

Over 115,000 Syrians have been killed and more than two million have fled the country, which has been entangled in a violent civil war for more than two years.

Yep, the Pope saw the only hope to stave off Obama’s bloodthirsty, lust for war in Syria was to reach out to Vladimir Putin.   When Edward Snowden, a hero to millions around the world for exposing an out of control, central banker led US government, was stranded in Russia it was Putin who showed great restraint and a measured response. 

After all of Obama’s squealing, threats and kidnapping world leaders on the pretext of Snowden being on their plane, Putin remained the adult.  When asked about the Obama Administrations continued threats, and posturing in trying to capture Snowden, Putin compared dealing with Obama to “shearing a pig”.  There’s lots of squealing and no wool.

So while the Obama Administration cuts nutritional assistance to the poor, veterans benefits for those injured fighting America’s endless wars of aggression, allows America’s infrastructure to be sold off to foreign countries and destroys this once great nation, Putin’s Russia is looking extremely strong.  Putin’s approval rating has been skyrocketing.  Austerity for America, Prosperity for Russia.

Putin the Great?  I don’t know, maybe we should ask the Russian people who, after witnessing an EU/US backed Nazi coup in Ukraine, they voted to stick with Russia.

By Patricia Baeten