The worse than Russia, the more dangerous Putin

Vox - about what the Russian currency crisis threatens the West

Russia has been experiencing the largest ruble devaluation since 1998 - since the beginning of the year, the Russian currency has doubled in price in relation to the euro. In conditions of tense relations between Moscow and Western countries, the news about the economic crisis in Russia should be good for the United States, but this is quite the opposite, the journalist of VOX Max Fisher writes. The weaker Russia, the more dangerous it is, and this is bad news for everyone, including the United States.

With the weakening of the economy, Vladimir Putin will only strengthen his power, relying on state propaganda, nationalist sentiments and confrontation with the West. Propaganda will convince Russians that all economic problems are a consequence of the aggression of Western countries, Fisher writes. This position leads Russia along the path of North Korea and threatens the terrible consequences for both Russians and the whole world, he believes.

The former Putin built his policy on the economic growth of Russia, while the welfare grew, this was quite enough to realize political ambitions. After 2012, his rhetoric changed towards anti -Western paranoia and nationalism. Obviously, the Russian president will accuse the economic crisis of American and European imperialism, Fisher believes - in this way Putin will be able to relieve himself of the responsibility of the ruble and rally the Russians to a single foreign threat.

Putin is trying to convince the Russians that the worse the situation in the country, the stronger they should support the government and the president, the journalist writes. So far, this tactic works, but the deeper the economic crisis will be, the stronger Putin will have to aggravate relations with the West in order to continue to justify all the troubles of Russia with intrigues of Western enemies. Strengthening confrontation with the West also includes the escalation of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, says Fisher.

Everything that is happening with Russia resembles North Korea 60 years ago, when this Asian country began to slide into an alternative reality. Aggressive nationalism and the constant state of war with the Western imperialists is the only way for Kim Jong -un to keep his power, and the poorer the DPRK becomes, the more aggressive and closed it becomes. Russia, of course, will never become an analogue of North Korea, Fisher notes, but there is no getting away from the parallels.

In the end, Putin is much more worried about Ukraine than Western countries - this is true - and at a certain moment a weak Ukrainian government can recognize the defeat and offer Putin the favorable conditions of a truce. The worse the situation is in the Russian economy, the more likely it is that Putin will go to some risky gambit to weaken the effect of sanctions (English.).

Vox