The President of the Russian Federation is perhaps the most successful enemy of Western liberalism. In place of decadent liberal democracy and inclusiveness, Putin presents an Eastern alternative of nationalism and autocracy. Who needs the rule of law when you have a leader's charisma and strong passions of injured national identity? Now there's a man of action!
To paraphrase George Orwell, I think there are a lot of people in the West (especially those who really hate liberalism and all that it stands for) who don't so much fear Vladimir Putin as envy him.
I'm not sure we are exactly in a position to morally scold Putin when it comes to invading and occupying places without provocation. Besides, he despises us for believing our own hypocrisy. He certainly doesn't believe his.
I think all that's going to come out of the West over Crimea is a lot of sanctimony and not much else.
No one wants to spend their blood and treasure going to war with Russia over Crimea or Ukraine.
EXTRA:
Icons of Joseph Stalin (I kid you not):
MORE EXTRA:
In contrast, here is an icon of the Million Martyrs; Christians killed by the Soviet regime. I'm not sure this is really any better. At the bottom of the icon in the center is the Imperial Family featuring the murdered Tsarevitch. What a strange country Russia is!
I was gonna say---how do they square canonizing BOTH Stalin and the Tsar?! [I think the former is strictly unofficial . . . I hope! :-0]
ReplyDeleteAlso note the icon being written (2nd to last pic): that's not Uncle Joe w/ the halo, but the woman seated [Could that be Joe's wife? Wasn't he thought to have murdered her?]
ReplyDeleteThe second one is interesting (and disturbing). I *think* it may be written in Georgian, not Russian. Combined w/ the *alleged* smothering end of JS (shown on right): a martyr of the Georgian people? Georgian nationalism?
ReplyDeleteYour guess is as good as mine.
ReplyDelete