Putin's insane-sounding quote about bears: understanding Russia today (and Conspiracy Theories)

[uhnope]

Interesting that Putin seems to be peddling the notion that the west is in a big conspiracy to disarm Russia and steal its resources. I know many of the Putinistas on DU think in this bizarre logic, but it's crazy to hear it coming directly from Putin.

Putin's insane-sounding quote about bears is essential for understanding Russia today

Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a press conference on Thursday to address the country's increasingly dire economic crisis, made an extended, bizarre reference to bears that is drawing a lot of attention, and rightly, because it makes him sound absolutely crazy.

But Putin's bear quotes — and the bear, it is widely understood in Russia, is a metaphor for the Russian nation — are actually essential for understanding Putin and his growing hostility to the West. Here is the quote, per the AP's translation, and its summary of a related point he made midway through:

Sometimes I think, maybe it would be better for our bear to sit quiet, rather than chasing around the forest after piglets. To sit eating berries and honey instead. Maybe they will leave it in peace. They will not. Because they will always try to put him on a chain, and as soon as they succeed in doing so they tear out his fangs and his claws.

(Putin says that by fangs and claws he meant Russia's nuclear weapons. And the West wants to weaken Russia, he says, to win control over its rich natural resources.)

Once they've taken out his claws and his fangs, then the bear is no longer necessary. He'll become a stuffed animal. The issue is not Crimea, the issue is that we are protecting our sovereignty and our right to exist.

Yes, to be clear, you are correct to read his argument as bananas crazy: that there is a Western conspiracy to destroy Russia and its nuclear weapons so as to steal Russian resources — the same oil that is trading at bargain-basement lows right now — and that Russia can only prevent this catastrophe by "chasing around the forest after piglets," in other words by being occasionally aggressive against other, smaller countries.
What Putin is really talking about

But this isn't just Putin randomly popping off on a bizarre tangent. This line of reasoning is, and has always been, a deliberate part of this strategy. That strategy is to portray any Russian economic downturn as the fault of nefarious Western aggressors, play up Russian imperial-style nationalism as a means of generating popular support, and to launch aggressive military campaigns that bolster and connect those two things.

Read more http://www.vox.com/2014/12/18/7414949/vladimir-putins-insane-sounding-bear-quote-is-essential-for

[nichomachus]

1. Insane? Pffft.

Putin makes more sense than any of his opponents in the neoliberal cabal that is trying to encircle him and destroy his economy.

The actions of Obama and the others are what's insane. This attack on Russia is going to backfire in a very big way.

[CJCRANE]

2. I actually think this resurgence of anti-Russian sentiment

and resurgence of terrorism in the ME were intended for a Romney presidency, they are so totally at odds with Obama's first term foreign policy. (However, Obama outsmarted them and was reelected, much to the surprise of Rove et al).

Remember back in '11 when Bin Laden was taken out and everything seemed on track to wind down the war on terror and eventually reinvest in American infrastructure and jobs.

Then in the second presidential debate in '12 Romney said that Russia was our biggest geopolitical foe and President Obama just laughed at him.

Fast forward a couple of years, and now there's a whole new army of terrorists like Al Qaeda on steroids sprung out of nowhere in the ME and we're trying to destroy Russia's economy.

[bemildred]

4. You can tell that Obama is definitely "in the way" in some peoples view.

He seems to have learned to not listen to his advisers too, the curse and the blessing of 2nd term Presidents, and to dissemble with the best of them.

[Igel]

5. We notice this now.

What people didn't notice was the similar kind of rhetoric in 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 ... It's just been increasing. From the get-go, saying bad things about Stalin and the USSR and Russianness was a bad thing.

Notice that this is not only before Romney, this is before Obama.

We--in the sense of "American domestic politics", much less the piddling "2012 presidential politics"--are so stunningly unimportant as to appear to be harlequins sitting on the king's throne and giving mock orders to his ministers.

Obama's only handy because they can put up light shows of "Obamacaque" appearing to fellate a banana as Putin-supporters on DU and Fox say how wonderful Putin is. (BTW, I've finally settled on Obamacaque as my best translation for the Russian blend of "Obama" and "obez'yan" 'chimpanzee', "Obez'yama. ) And because when faced with a military struggle his first response was to say "there's no military solution." Allowing for a clear military solution on the ground.

[cheapdate]

3. During Putin's KGB days, Russia bombed the Chechen capital of Grozny into a pile of rubble.

Putin was an important leader during the astonishing destruction of the Soviet-Afghan War. But go ahead. Cheer for him.