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applegrove

(118,021 posts)
Fri Dec 26, 2014, 08:49 PM Dec 2014

Putin couldn't make Russia a great power, so he made it a geopolitical racketeer

Putin couldn't make Russia a great power, so he made it a geopolitical racketeer

by Max Fisher at Vox

http://www.vox.com/2014/12/26/7381413/russia-putin-racketeer

"SNIP....................


Mark Galeotti, a professor at New York University who studies Russia, suggested an answer: Putin is remaking Russia from a former world power into a geopolitical racketeer. Galeotti is not the first person to suggest this theory, which is gaining traction even among Russia experts who tend to be more sympathetic to Moscow, but he put it awfully succinctly in a great interview with the Swiss-based International Relations and Security Network.

Galeotti made his point when asked how Russia's role as an international actor had evolved since the end of the Cold War (I've added line breaks and bold for
emphasis):


Russia is now regarded not as ineffective but as toxic; it has shown that it can act, but above all as a spoiler.

Its main tactic in eastern Ukraine, in Syria, and elsewhere is not to fix problems, nor even to build coalitions, but to create problems in the hope that this grinds down the will of the other party or parties until they decide that making some kind of deal with Moscow is the least-worse option.




....................SNIP"
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Putin couldn't make Russia a great power, so he made it a geopolitical racketeer (Original Post) applegrove Dec 2014 OP
Russia: The Republican Party of countries. True Blue Door Dec 2014 #1
Putin:The Dubya of Russia, yortsed snacilbuper Dec 2014 #7
DU rec... SidDithers Dec 2014 #2
I agree with the author.. Russia is toxic" .. oh and Putin is a ****** ******* ******** ********. Cha Dec 2014 #3
Hey Cha. applegrove Dec 2014 #4
Hey Cha Dec 2014 #5
Fuck Putin. zappaman Dec 2014 #14
That sounds Cha Dec 2014 #15
Fuck that fascist war criminal. NuclearDem Dec 2014 #6
Well said! hrmjustin Dec 2014 #8
agreed davidpdx Dec 2014 #12
How exactly are "Great Power" and "geopolitical racketeer" not synonyms? bhikkhu Dec 2014 #9
But, but but.... edhopper Dec 2014 #10
Typical psychopathic bully. applegrove Dec 2014 #11
Fuck Putin, he's a homophobic, fascist piece of filth. nt geek tragedy Dec 2014 #13

Cha

(295,914 posts)
3. I agree with the author.. Russia is toxic" .. oh and Putin is a ****** ******* ******** ********.
Fri Dec 26, 2014, 10:46 PM
Dec 2014

thanks applegrove.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
12. agreed
Sat Dec 27, 2014, 05:09 AM
Dec 2014

It's just a matter of when Russians figure that out and get fed up with him. I have to wonder how much of his "approval rating" is bloated by his own people.

bhikkhu

(10,708 posts)
9. How exactly are "Great Power" and "geopolitical racketeer" not synonyms?
Sat Dec 27, 2014, 12:32 AM
Dec 2014

I can't think of any good examples...

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