Punch on: Open thread 31/12/09

stephen says:

05:10am | 31/12/09

He’s the first important Russian I know of who has varied skills : A good bureaucrat and diplomat, a reasonable spy (well, I think so), can ride a horse, fish, shoot a gun (well, I assume so ), and has a black belt in judo.
And when he talks, he breathes. (This is unique in Russian politics.)

PS Varied skills, I hope, means a broad emotional range, which means a willingness to see points from a different perspective.  Hope, because I think Vladimir has applied for his old job back.

T.Chong says:

09:04am | 31/12/09

Steph; not so sure about the circular breathing, but he does seem to be succesfully promoted as everyrmans Everyman.
Even with the USSR gone, Putin has been able to put across the idea that Russia has mostly moved on from the “cold war” while the US is still actively still dividing the world into “Us” and “Them”
The “Them ” still includes socialist states,Cuba and Venezual, with new “Thems” in vs Islam.
The State Dept and Pentagons latest creation is the super evil “Them” make believe alliance of Chavez and Venezuala with Iran. The stupidity of the claim is absurd, but if you tell enough lies…, eg WMD in Iraq.

Russell says:

09:56am | 31/12/09

That would be 1999 wouldn’t it? Gorbachev was still on the scene in ‘91

TB says:

02:50pm | 31/12/09

Spot on, Russell - in ‘91, Putin had only just called it quits with the KGB, and was carving out a career as a local politician in St. Petersburg.