“Our Western friends seem to think that war is the key to saving their economy, when their constant thirst for war is what is partially wrong with their economy. The other part is they have outsourced almost their entire economy and industry out to foreign powers. They wish to sit like a Queen and rule the world and desire to live up on a pedestal from reality.

Russia does not bow down and kiss the feet of anyone and certainly not to a country that sits knee deep in blood of children from countries that can not defend themselves. So to answer your question, Russia does not want to be like America, we are going to be like Russia.”

~ Vladimir Putin, 10/13/2012

In addition to having good quotes, Putin also has good campaign commercials!

Beautiful women who are attracted to strong men? Imagine that.

Such a healthy concept would never fly here, where men are supposed to be weak, apologetic, and feminine and women who look like “Chaz” Bono are held up as model Americans.

Putin, meanwhile, has made an extremely important speech in which he explains Russia’s policy to multiculturalism. The overall idea is that Russia is a country with several ethnic groups with ethnic Russians as the “core” and the “binding fabric.”

Some selected quotes from Putin’s speech:

1) Multiculturalism “elevates the (idea of the) ‘right of minorities to be different’ to the absolute and, at the same time, insufficiently balances this right with civil, behavioral, and cultural obligations in regard to the indigenous population and society as a whole.”

2) Multiculturalism “creates closed national and religious communities…which not only refuse to assimilate, but [do not] even adapt.”

3) Russia “is not an ethnic state or an American melting pot where everyone is, one way or another, an immigrant” . The country is a multi-ethnic state “…with an ongoing process of mutual adjustment, mutual understanding, and unification of people through families, friendship, and work.” The core, the binding fabric of this unique civilization – is the Russian people, Russian culture.”

Putin then makes what are arguably the article’s most “controversial” comments, which allude to the cultural dominance of the Russian people.

“This civilizational identity is based on preservation of Russian cultural dominance, which is not only carried by ethnic Russians, but all carriers of this identity regardless of nationality,” Putin writes. “This is the cultural code that has, in the recent years, been subject to some serious trials, which people have tried and continue to try to break. And it has, nevertheless, prevailed. At the same time, it needs to be nourished, strengthened, and protected.”

Pretty good stuff.

HT: Thanks to a loyal TPC listener in Sweden for this news tip!