What is Putin counting on

The discussion is continued by the publicist Lilia Shevtsova

To be honest, I don't know what Putin is counting on. Like Georgy Satarov in a recent publication on the same topic. And I will not guess that Putin is interested in what he thinks and what he suggests. I will leave psychoanalysis to those who are more tempted in it.

However, the question itself makes us think about what. We love to think about the fact that Putin’s head and the adequacy of his picture of the world. But to what extent is our perception of Putin and his role in the Russian process, including in ensuring the autocracy?

If Putin has become a hostage to his own “vertical” and lost control of it, then he repeats the logic of many such regimes at the stage of their aging and exhaust

Song about Putin

The autocracy, whose personifier is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, led to the formation of a vast in scale of the legend of Putin. A sort of massive Putinian . Hundreds, perhaps thousands of observers in Russia and abroad are looking for an answer what Putin is and what to expect from him. Many, not having about Russia, still consider it their duty to write about Putin. By the way, it should be flattering for our president!

In this context, at least three questions arise. Here is the first: how really is Putin’s omnipotence and does he really continue to remain the master of the Russian “vertical”? If so, how to explain chaos in the process of making Kremlin decisions and the complete irresponsibility of the power apparatus? About ten years ago, everything looked more likely. If Putin has become a hostage to his own “vertical” and lost control of it, then he repeats the logic of many such regimes at the stage of their aging and exhausting. At one time, one of the most insightful researchers of personalist power, Argentine Gillermo O'Donnell, introduced the term “powerless omnipotence” to determine the fading authoritarian leadership. If we have come down to this, then you should carefully look at the process of decentralization of power and the collapse of state fabric. And not to be distracted by the same, then the personifier itself thinks. For this is not so important.

Imitation, pretense, crafty, deception and blackmail have become the main means and content of Russian politics

Goals and principles

The second question: to what extent can we judge the intentions or goals of the leader at the stage of postmodernism? After all, the fact is that today we live in an era that ignores previous principles. What is partly the result of globalization and departure from the world scene of the communist alternative in the form of the USSR (which forced the West to stay its standards). The boundaries between the opposites are lubricated - between truth and lies, reality and fiction, world and war. Life, like politics, becomes polyphonic and ambivalent. This polyphony turned out to be an ideal environment for the Kremlin, which perfectly mastered the art of Fake and Blef: “It is not us”, “we were not there”, “ourselves such”, etc. Imitation, pretense, crafty, deception and blackmail became the main means and content of Russian politics. So how on this basis to judge Putin, his plans, intentions and thoughts? After all, his rhetoric and actions do not necessarily talk about his intentions.

The third question: if the whole problem is in Putin, then his departure must open the way to the exit of Russia from the autocracy. Isn't it? But what if Putin turns out to be an obstacle to the system, for he ceased to express her needs in the name of the interests of his “near circle”? In this case, his care will become a way of reviving the autocracy. But already with another personifier.

But let's reflect on why Putin managed to saddle the logic of decay and make it his own survival

What to count on Putin?

Nevertheless, President Vladimir Putin has something to count on. Regardless of the picture of the world that has developed in his head.

All of us, tired of Putin, have been talking about Putin's failure leadership for many years and what he brought to Russia to. Indeed, I brought it! Andrei Kolesnikov in this cycle showed our hopeless reality well. To sing a requiem on autocracy and my favorite pastime. Indeed, the system rots in full and degrades.

It seems to me that we managed to analyze all the miscalculations of Putin's leadership. Many of us have been predicting for a year that autocracy is about to fall. Not today, so tomorrow. Well, this dreadnought cannot swim with such holes for a long time.

But he is swimming! Even in an incomprehensible direction and hardly anyone has someone at the helm. Why do we rarely think about what keeps our system afloat? Maybe we don’t want to be upset. Or maybe we believe that the discussion of the “stability factors” that hold the Putin regime will be recognized by his strength or endurance. But we must strengthen hope in the opposite!

Meanwhile, to discuss why the system withstands such grandiose failures, and Putin at the top feels quite confident, it is necessary. Yes, the crisis covered a total public and state organization of our lives. But the economy, albeit in recession, but function. The nurse in the budget is huge and there is money in order to distribute for bribery to the suffering - in which case.

The people began to murmur. But the pension reform was swallowed. And we all waited for the storm. The protest mood increased. But how many people go on the streets? Sanctions take Russia by the throat. But the country adapted to them. Russia is in international isolation and look at it as a source of plague. But at the same time, the world is lying in front of Putin and tries to prevent him from feeling loneliness. It is clear that they are afraid that he would not throw it away.

The hopes for the split of the Russian elite are also not justified as sanctions pressure on Russia. It seems that on the contrary, returning from the foggy shores of Albion, our Razier is looking for fortifications of Putin's sovereign in order to hide under his arm.

We are glad that the people want change. But who will lead them and form an alternative to Putin? The left idea is decreased by the Communists. Nationalism is exhausted in the Crimea and sits in prison. The liberals destroyed liberalism, sitting in the Putin government. Well, how is it with changes?

I am leading to. Of course, you can talk about Putin and his dreams. This is our usual and favorite pastime. But let's reflect on why Putin managed to saddle the logic of decay and make it his own way of survival.

However, let's not get hung up in Putin! He is already at the exit. Even if it remains. Its historical time ends. Let's think that he leaves us and what we will do with this heritage. For getting out of the current era will be much more difficult for us than from communism.

Read the same:

Andrey Kolesnikov, "Patriarch of All Rus' is required"

Ivan Davydov, "President and his mission"

Georgy Satarov, “When will this disgrace end? - If you wait, then - for a long time "

Vladislav Inozemtsev, "it will not be worse"

Fedor Krasheninnikov “What is Putin hoping for? On a miracle! "