JRL NEWSWATCH: “Putin touts Russia as a great power. But he’s made it a weak one.” – Washington Post/ Timothy Frye
“… Moscow is playing an assertive role [globally] … despite … weakness. … If anyone has made Russia’s hand weak, it’s [Putin, in power for two decades with a] … failure to create a more dynamic economy …. Thanks to high energy prices and fiscal caution … [there are] large reserve funds, but the economy has stagnated …. in 2012, Putin promised 6 percent growth … but the Russian economy is … about the same size as … in 2008 … [A]verage real incomes … have declined …. [F]ew Russians harbor hope that economic conditions will improve. … [and Russian military] spending [has fallen] …. Russia could reduce corruption, increase economic competition and cut red tape [to encourage growth]. Yet doing so would hurt Putin’s main constituencies – elite cronies who benefit from the status quo, conservative voters, state bureaucrats, and workers in import-competing sectors. Putin’s foreign policy, too, has led to reactions that have ultimately limited Russia’s power. …”
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