Is the Cold War back on? What's Putin up to?

[CheezeFlixz]

Haven't been around much lately been busy, but I have been noticing this ... out of Russia.

For those of you to young to really remember the real cold war when you had nuclear attack drills in school and the "Evil Reds" where going to take over the world and we'd all be goose stepping through Red Square. And the USSR was the evil empire of the Iron curtain .... what is Putin up too?

Is Putin trying to bring back the good ol days? While we're seemingly distracted with the War on Terror and a every widening divide in our American government. (For those of us that are American.)

Increased flights into various NATO counties air space dissolving the government, new super bombs, tight controls and many other signs of returning to the past ... what are they doing over there?

Well here are a few of stories from the many global news outlets I read ...

Putin Dissolves Government

Russia tests 'Dad Of All Bombs'

Still trying to figure this one out ...

Skip work, make babies, says Russian governor

Alarm as Russians restart long-range bomber flights

Russia plays Cold War games

So what are these high stepping, fuzzy hats wearing, vodka drinking former wannabe commies up to now? I think the Russia Government doesn't like the high cost of freedom and capitalism, which is to say being criticized and not having full control. Being asked questions and having to answering to the people and not having the masses applaud their every action as it was under communism, (be happy with your crappy life or be sent to Siberia)

Old Russia (USSR) was a control freak it's what communism is all about; control and they lost that control and now they want it back.

I don't worry about Iran and the middle east ... it's China and Russia I keep an eye on. 

[Him]

The USSR was no more of a control freak than the USA is/was.

Russia is a country that has a history of being invaded, so is understandable that they would desire to have a strong military defense just like we in the US.

[CheezeFlixz]

The USSR was no more of a control freak than the USA is/was.

Russia is a country that has a history of being invaded, so is understandable that they would desire to have a strong military defense just like we in the US.

I'm not aware of any American being sent to prison for speaking out against the government.

Nor am I aware of Bush controlling all media, Putin has taken control of most TV and Papers.

The US and the former USSR are nothing alike.

[Him]

I'm not aware of any American being sent to prison for speaking out against the government.

Naw they just send in the IRS to audit them until they find a tax excuse to put them in jail. Or they make all kinds of crazy drug laws to ensure they always have an excuse to put Vietnam protesters in jail.

Nor am I aware of Bush controlling all media, Putin has taken control of most TV and Papers.

Naw Bush just wants to put people in jail who burn and American flag.

[nshumate]

I believe that orders of magnitude are being glossed over here in favor of pat answers.  How nuanced.

[Inyarear]

I wouldn't say the Cold War is back on exactly, but I would say Russia's reverting to type. Stalin and his Communist successors managed to commit all kinds of atrocities and run the country into the ground for decades with their catastrophic mismanagement of all its resources, and we shouldn't deny or try to downplay that, but the fact is that things weren't all going swimmingly for Russia before the Bolsheviks came along either; Russian governments have always been extremely corrupt, and before Stalin, there were a number of ruthless Tsars in control of the country (as much as anyone could be in control). Putin's just following in the long and slightly disreputable tradition of his predecessors.

[indianasmith]

I don't think that Putin really wants the Cold War fully reignited, but he does want Russia to be respected and feared again . . . and he wants to put one of his men in charge of the gov't when he leaves next year to avoid any unpleasant investigations.  He is a hard, cold man, but ultimately a pragmatic one.  Russia hasn't done very well in the leadership department since . . . well, since Peter the Great, I guess.

[CheezeFlixz]

I don't think that Putin really wants the Cold War fully reignited, but he does want Russia to be respected and feared again . . . and he wants to put one of his men in charge of the gov't when he leaves next year to avoid any unpleasant investigations.  He is a hard, cold man, but ultimately a pragmatic one.  Russia hasn't done very well in the leadership department since . . . well, since Peter the Great, I guess.

What about Catherine?

Putin is going to put a puppet in charge to run things between 2008 and 2012 and he will run and win again in 2012, their constitution allows that. You wait and see, hide and watch. Putin is a ex KGB man and he just looks sneaky to me. He wants to be a super power again even if he hasn't got the military nor the money to do it, he is very power hungry. And a power hungry man in charge is very dangerous ... the list is to long to name.

[dean]

Since he's reading this now, I'm going to say that Putin is a wonderful lad who is quite masculine and virile...




I tried so very hard to find photos of him with his top off that surfaced recently... Many said it was a staged shoot to show him as a manly man and as such 'in charge'.

Quite frankly I think his recent actions scare the crap out of me, because I find no rational reason why he should bother.  I mean, I understand why he'd do it, but this is the sort of antagonistic behavior that I'd personally prefer not to be in charge of a very large and still quite powerful country.

Rumours of Russian Mafia control in the higher levels of government don't make me feel all peachy either, and like someone said before: he's an ex KGB man, and whilst Cheeze says he looks shifty, I think he's a shrewd person, and frankly, I don't really trust his motives.

Besides that, on the topic of media control, watching Eurovision recently [last year or so] made for fun viewing.  When giving the Russian votes, the representative prefaced it with 'Russia thanks it's President Putin' etc etc type thing.   Of all the things he has done, from placing flags under ice in the Arctic, that Russian guy dying in Britain from radiation poisoning, to the "FOAB", that's the one that scares me the most: Freedom of speech being curtailed.  It just gives them free reign to do what they want, at least with vocal critics there is some semblence, albeit limited, of a checks and balance approach.

And to think, I actually liked the guy when he first came in power [well, though he was doing ok at least]


Is Russia going for a 'come from behind win'?  We shall see...

[CheezeFlixz]

I agree he's no moron, he's very shrewd and with all the over run PC and internal bickering between right and the left in this country, Putin smells blood in the water of the faltering American empire and unless our government gets on the same page and stops it with the undermining of the military and pandering to special interest groups this great nation is going to be an has been. Putin knows it and he making his move to take that place, even if he lacks the money and inferstructure to do so. 

Putin want to return to the good ole days when everyone was afraid of Russia and when Russia (then USSR) spoke countries listen. Less public issues I've read out of former Iron curtain is Russia trying to get some of the former members of the USSR to reunited, but this doesn't look possible as to many have got a taste of life outside of communist rule and they like it.

Like I said I don't think they are anywhere close to us but they need to be watched, closely. Never underestimate them or you'll find yourself goose stepping.