US Presidents in this century and the last, except for maybe FDR, have been politicians first, opportunists second, and various other things —and human beings somewhere down the list as an afterthought.
Putin,however is not a politician —he is a leader - -quite a different thing—only possible when humanity comes first. For it is humanity that inspires….yes… humanity.
That is why it is so important to see Putin as a person and not be misled by the textual constructions of the West.
As Derrida would have it a little de-construction is necessary.
Yesterday’s Post
But this kind of critical analysis is not without its challenges, as we saw in yesterday’s post.
Sometimes it is best just to think simple.
Let’s just say that Putin has had a lot of love in his life, which allowed the Miracle Baby to become the Miracle Man. And that love and care came all sorts of people as he grew into the man we see today, changing the world. Not just his parents, or the two families who also looked after him when he was young. But teachers and friends and others along the way.
In the comments on yesterday’s article, there was some discussion about the photo I posted of Putin and his “mother”?
I took this photo from a collection of photos from The Mirror— not the best source of course— but the attribution was to the Russian Archives (Avalon).
Here’s the photo with the original caption.
Alex Sachs writes:
This Lady is not Putin’s mother, but his teacher, Vera Dmitriyevna Gurevich. He loved her and still is in contact to her today.
Moscow Exile writes:
Putin and his mom? That photo is of Vladimir Vladimirovich and his wife Lyudmila Aleksandrovna
This is Putin and his wife,
In Germany when Putin got a little chubby. Putin met his wife in 1980 and married in 1983.
Could Alex be right then?
Here is Putin and his former teacher then and today !
Poor lady - she does realize his hugging a soul-less, emotionless, sadistic monster who bathes in blood!
This is a photo of Putin’s Mom. I don’t know the date But I think a lot earlier than 1970.
I am inclined to think that Alex is right - that the woman in the photo is Putin’s teacher, who had a major influence on him, encouraging him and nurturing his talents. She was not the only one,
Putin was fortunate to have the help and support of so many people growing up who saw in him an unrealized potential. He likes animals and children, is loyal to his friends, including the guy he is throwing in the photo. They are still close friends, although, which I have read, but cannot now find the reference.
Sorry to whats-her-face Stevens, Putin genuinely cares about people. He is an emotional person. And he principled at the same time.When he tries to make a difference, he does so from the heart, as well as the head.
It is his humanity that allows — in fact, demands hard choices. “Doing the right thing” is never easy in this world.
The real story behind these photos is about connection — connection with those closest to us making possible connection to those we don’t know.
Of course, the Western Media is not about “connection” but about dis-connection . As a result, they are invested in demonizing Putin.
Doing the Right Thing
It is Putin’s humanity and his sense of connection to the people of Russia and Russia’s connection to the peoples of the world — that will make things difficult for the Americans in their quest for “Amerika Uber Alles’.
The Americans think they are negotiating to end their involvement in the "war “ in Ukraine, leaving that to the Europeans— disconnecting — while they turn their attention to China and BRICS, to try and disconnect them. .
But they are blatant — and the Russians and the Chinese see their intentions and are strategizing a viable and resilient BRICS economic system.
Putin will not be sucked into an early 20th Century style partition of the globe into neo-colonial “spheres of influence”— which seems to be what the US envisions.
Ah…you thought Cecil Rhodes was dead?
BRICS, however, is a paradigm shift. Kuhn thought paradigm shifts were about science but actually they are about civilizations.
Rivalry between big powers had brought disaster to humanity, as evidenced by the lessons of the two world wars in the not-so-distant past. Whether it is the colonial system or the core-periphery structure, unequal orders are bound to meet their demise. Independence and autonomy is sought across the world, and greater democracy in international relations is unstoppable. Equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules should become the basic principles of a multipolar world.
It is in this principle that China advocates equality among all countries regardless of size, and calls for increasing the representation and say of developing countries in the international system. This will not lead to “Westlessness,” but will deliver more positive-sum results to the world. … Every country should have their voice heard. Every country should be able to find their place and play their role in a multipolar paradigm
Wang Yi, foreign minister of China
These are principles that Russia - and Putin —uphold. The Americans cannot separate the de facto alliance Putin and Xi and their quest to realize a new order.
The Americans attempts to win over the world beyond the G7 is doomed to failure They simply have too much baggage.
Who can trust the US of A? To win the world, they would have to make up for past sins — and that’s just too expensive. The country’s financial pantheon will not permit it.
The Trumpsters don’t realize that for Putin the Ukraine is a sideshow. It is not even a “war”. He doesn’t care about sanctions. A majority of Russians don’t want McDonald’s back.
McDonald’s, as you know, is the measure of American hegemony.
What does that tell you?
He and Xi have started a revolution.
About love….
Chappy and Ichi chose this video. Chappy thinks he is the Cheetah. Ichi thinks he is the Dog. They say that geopolitics is boring.
That said, these posts benefit from my ongoing research into Putin for the upcoming Special Article on him. Your support helps me get this finished and I can add you to the mailing list.
You only need to watch the body language when Mr Putin is with his fellow citizens,especially children, it is so obvious he is a patriot and sincerely loves Russia, pimples and all. I often think about how he takes all the pressures, he is really the man of the 21st century, and may he succeed on his journey. Urrah.!
"Putin was fortunate to have the help and support of so many people growing up who saw in him an unrealized potential".
It seems to me that anyone who impressed so many people and gained their love and admiration must have some really superior qualities. And now, I think, his potential has been fully realised. Russia has made almost as much progress since 2000 as China - but in Russia's case one man gets most of the credit. (As well as the people he chose for subordinate roles, which is one of the greatest tests of a leader).
Mr Xi has also performed superbly, but I get the feeling he has had more help from more people. (Hardly surprising, as China has nearly 10 times as many people as Russia).