4 ms·

I don't think he's saying that Russia is the most powerful country in the world, I think he's saying that as an individual person, Putin is more powerful than a

I don't think he's saying that Russia is the most powerful country in the world, I think he's saying that as an individual person, Putin is more powerful than any other individual person. I guess the main question would be "is Putin with total control of a less powerful country more powerful than the US president with carefully defined control of a more powerful country?"

NicoJuicy 6y ago
I'm implying on the : "he plays everyone like a fiddle". The sanctions against Russia are still in place and it seems to be working. It will only get worse when Trump will ( probably) lose. Their ally is China and they are the weak partner on that end and China knows it. Additionally, Russia is probably getting an extra "big reward" in the coming year for their meldding in the western world.
- namdnay 6y ago
  He's managed to keep sole control of Russia for 20 years, and probably made himself one of the wealthiest people in the world, so he's definitely playing fiddle for a lot of people
  - brutt 6y ago
    Putin had plan to make himself and his friends richest people in the world. According to this plan, Gazprom must be valuated at $1T at the end of 2016[0]. [0]: https://politua.org/ekonomika/30270-gazprom-ostanavlivaemyj/ https://politua.org/ekonomika/30270-gazprom-ostanavlivaemyj/
  - NicoJuicy 6y ago
    It's more about being corrupt than fiddling a lot of people. The one who fiddles the "best", is the one that you don't think about :) Everyone knows what Putin is doing, so i would say he's not doing such a good job.
    - bryanrasmussen 6y ago
      at some point fiddling by it's nature becomes loud enough for people to notice, no matter how deft the fiddler.
  - danjac 6y ago
    At this point he's a prisoner of his own making. Yes he has personal wealth to last generations, but there is no clear path for him to retire and quietly step aside for a younger successor. Even during late Soviet times there was always a slightly fitter and younger General Secretary to take over, but it's unclear how this would happen in modern Russia without a bloody power struggle. A strong leader at this point would be trying to build a legacy of consitutional, democratic (or even quasi-democratic) rule of law that would outlast him. I doubt Putin could achieve this now even if he wanted to; so instead he fixes the consitution to make himself President for life and let Russia fall apart when he dies.
    - namdnay 6y ago
      Yeah and it's not like he'll be able to keep his wealth once he steps down... he's really in the position of a Mafia boss. There's only one way out
      - danjac 6y ago
        "Apres moi, le deluge"
    - toyg 6y ago
      Franco won the civil war in 1939 and did not really plan for succession until 30 years later. Spain didn't fall apart (and it could have - apart from the usual oligarchic strife, they even had competing claims to the stooge-like monarchy Franco had installed). So hey, maybe it will work out. Mugabe lasted into his 90s and died in his bed, the country did not break more than he had already broken it.
082349872349872 6y ago
Total control is arguable, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Russian_constitutional_referendum#Proposed_adoption_without_a_referendum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Russian_constitutional_re... suggests that he may be attempting to circumvent the legislature.

NicoJuicy 6y ago

I'm implying on the : "he plays everyone like a fiddle". The sanctions against Russia are still in place and it seems to be working. It will only get worse when Trump will ( probably) lose. Their ally is China and they are the weak partner on that end and China knows it. Additionally, Russia is probably getting an extra "big reward" in the coming year for their meldding in the western world.

namdnay 6y ago
He's managed to keep sole control of Russia for 20 years, and probably made himself one of the wealthiest people in the world, so he's definitely playing fiddle for a lot of people
- brutt 6y ago
  Putin had plan to make himself and his friends richest people in the world. According to this plan, Gazprom must be valuated at $1T at the end of 2016[0]. [0]: https://politua.org/ekonomika/30270-gazprom-ostanavlivaemyj/ https://politua.org/ekonomika/30270-gazprom-ostanavlivaemyj/
- NicoJuicy 6y ago
  It's more about being corrupt than fiddling a lot of people. The one who fiddles the "best", is the one that you don't think about :) Everyone knows what Putin is doing, so i would say he's not doing such a good job.
  - bryanrasmussen 6y ago
    at some point fiddling by it's nature becomes loud enough for people to notice, no matter how deft the fiddler.
- danjac 6y ago
  At this point he's a prisoner of his own making. Yes he has personal wealth to last generations, but there is no clear path for him to retire and quietly step aside for a younger successor. Even during late Soviet times there was always a slightly fitter and younger General Secretary to take over, but it's unclear how this would happen in modern Russia without a bloody power struggle. A strong leader at this point would be trying to build a legacy of consitutional, democratic (or even quasi-democratic) rule of law that would outlast him. I doubt Putin could achieve this now even if he wanted to; so instead he fixes the consitution to make himself President for life and let Russia fall apart when he dies.
  - namdnay 6y ago
    Yeah and it's not like he'll be able to keep his wealth once he steps down... he's really in the position of a Mafia boss. There's only one way out
    - danjac 6y ago
      "Apres moi, le deluge"
  - toyg 6y ago
    Franco won the civil war in 1939 and did not really plan for succession until 30 years later. Spain didn't fall apart (and it could have - apart from the usual oligarchic strife, they even had competing claims to the stooge-like monarchy Franco had installed). So hey, maybe it will work out. Mugabe lasted into his 90s and died in his bed, the country did not break more than he had already broken it.

082349872349872 6y ago

Total control is arguable, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Russian_constitutional_referendum#Proposed_adoption_without_a_referendum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Russian_constitutional_re... suggests that he may be attempting to circumvent the legislature.