“Putin has become a symbol of national sovereignty in its battle with globalism. That turns out to be the big battle of our times. As our last election shows, that’s true even here [in the US].” Christopher Caldwell

Christopher Caldwell has recently penned a very interesting piece — How to Think About Vladimir Putin — which was adapted from a speech he delivered on February 15, 2017, at a Hillsdale College National Leadership Seminar in Phoenix, Arizona. Please, take the time to read this fact-based appraisal of Putin and his times. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

Megyn Kelly and Oliver Stone have recently realized interesting interviews with President Vladimir Putin. Both interviews were criticized — even ridiculed — in the US.

The final question of Megyn Kelly’s interview with President Vladimir was even edited out.

“We have been here in St. Petersburg for about a week now. And virtually every person we have met on the street says what they respect about you is they feel that you have returned dignity to Russia, that you’ve returned Russia to a place of respect. You’ve been in the leadership of this country for 17 years now. Has it taken any sort of personal toll on you?”

Certainly, the CIA was not please… A former CIA told the HuffPost:

“I can’t begin to tell you what this did for Putin’s ego, and I wouldn’t put it past the Kremlin to use it for propaganda purposes.” “Putin’s obsession is, by his definition, making Russia great again. He’s obsessed with the idea that he has returned the country to what he sees as the glory days of the USSR.” “He feels that since the breakup of the USSR, Russia has too often ceded ground where it shouldn’t have. And he’s obsessed with people seeing him as the one who brought dignity back to Russia.”

The Putin Interviews of Oliver Stone also attracted a considerable amount of criticism in the US. And yet the truth is that Stone asked him tough questions on hacking the U.S. presidential election, Edward Snowden, NATO, Crimea and charges of corruption within Russia itself.

At least, some reports were a bit more balanced.

“It does seem bizarre, though, that Stone and Trump – men whose politics overlap only in a liking for conspiracy theories – should simultaneously be under suspicion for snuggling up to Russia.” “With The Putin Interviews, Stone has done a great service to democracy. If the first two episodes are won, in boxing terms, by the interviewee, fair referees would call the third a draw and the fourth, if not a knockout, a victory for Stone in terms of undefended punches.” [Guardian]

How to think about Putin

Christopher Caldwell is a graduate of Harvard College. His work has appeared in the Claremont Review of Books, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Book Review, the Spectator (London), Financial Times, and numerous other publications. He is the author of Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West, and is at work on a book about post-1960s America.

“Let me stress at the outset that this is not going to be a talk about what to think about Putin, which is something you are all capable of making up your minds on, but rather how to think about him.” “And on this, there is one basic truth to remember, although it is often forgotten. Our globalist leaders may have deprecated sovereignty since the end of the Cold War, but that does not mean it has ceased for an instant to be the primary subject of politics.” “Putin has become a symbol of national sovereignty in its battle with globalism. That turns out to be the big battle of our times. As our last election shows, that’s true even here [in the US].”

Putin on Edward Snowden

“Snowden ended up on our territory, based on what I see as the unprofessionalism of the CIA who tried to catch him.” Vladimir Putin — President of the Russian Federation In this unusual discussion, Putin makes fun of himself — “I am KGB too!” — and ridicules the CIA on the escape of Edward Snowden. Quite hilarious. Pay attention to every word!

REFERENCES

How to Think About Vladimir Putin — Christopher Caldwell

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Russia — How to think about Putin