NEWSWATCH: Decoding Vladimir Putin’s Plan: Many say Russia’s leader is trying to strengthen his country’s position in the world
[“Decoding Vladimir Putin’s Plan: Many say Russia’s leader is trying to strengthen his country’s position in the world” – US News and World Report – Joshua Kucera – January 5, 2015]
US News and World Report considers what one could infer about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true intentions and policies, in the light of Russia’s posture towards Ukraine and the West.
As Russia’s economy crumbles, the war in Ukraine drags on and Moscow’s ties with the West get more and more confrontational, it’s worth asking: Does Vladimir Putin have a plan?
To many of his detractors abroad and loyal supporters at home, the Russian president is decisively executing a strategy to strengthen Russia at the expense of the West. …
* * * But Putin’s opponents … see him as less of a cunning mastermind and more of an out-of-touch autocrat who has started a fight with the West that Russia can’t win. …