COUNTER-ARGUMENT: Putin is playing a strategic long game. That game is waiting out the collapse of the USA’s global power and influence, and by consequence the influence of Western Powers, and then restoring Russian self-determination, security, economy, and world power status, while at the same time preventing the spread of ‘decadence’ (postmodernism, anti-male-feminism, pc-woke, and racial hatred) into Russia. This is not a foolish or ideological game. It is a very intelligent game. But that game comes at the cost of the economic deprivation of the present generation of Russians. So while it’s certainly important to reduce corruption. And it’s certainly important to increase the scope of rule of law. And it’s certainly important to improve the economy. It’s not that Putin and the Russian leadership aren’t engaged in a rational strategy in the long-term interest of the Russian people and Russian civilization. In fact, the only substantial error we have witnessed was the panic with which the kremlin sized Crimea, and fostered a civil war when it was possible to acquire it from Ukraine for simple reduction in gas prices – because Ukraine wanted to ‘separate’ into Russified east, and Ukrainian west. This is the cause of the 30% decline in the economy.
While it appears the west is wealthy it is all debt. And it will end rather soon as do all false debt-economies. Worse, the corruption in the USA is merely hidden because the corruption ends up in our financial sector and political sector, and the special interests that have destroyed the laboring, working, and lower-middle classes in America. The coming collapse of Germany due to demographics under ‘democracy’ is far worse than that of Russia. I feel safer and happier in Russia and Ukraine than I do in American and the government is less influential and invasive than in American, and far less so than in continental Europe, where the government is pervasive.
