In support of Marti Holloway's earlier comments on Russia, Ukraine, etc., here's the intro to an article I started in 2021 based on the Financial Times 2019 interview of Putin:
Vladmir Putin: Classical Liberal, Intelligent Dignified Statesman, Thoughtful Russia Firster, Agile Interviewee, Funny, Insightful Observer of America’s Cultural Decline
Stuart H. Hurlbert, compiler
Vladimir Putin interviewed by the Financial Times | FT (90m video)
The Financial Times is the first major international newspaper to be granted an interview with the Russian leader for 16 years. Here is the exclusive interview with editor Lionel Barber and Moscow bureau chief Henry Foy in full (90min video), uploaded July 5, 2019.
Full Transcript: ‘All this fuss about spies ... it is not worth serious interstate relations’
“This is the transcript of a conversation between Vladimir Putin, Russian president, Lionel Barber, Financial Times editor, and Henry Foy, the FT’s Moscow bureau chief, which took place on Wednesday 26 June in the Kremlin. Mr Putin’s quotes are translated from the Russian.”
The Russian president on globalization, China, Trump and the end of the ‘liberal idea’. Vladimir Putin, Russian president, says the 'liberal idea' has outlived its purpose. NOTE: Putin uses the term "liberal" for what classical liberals in the U.S. would usually call "illiberal", “progressive”, “woke” or "politically correct."
Question for the reader: Should the U.S. borrow Putin to run for the U.S. presidency in 2024? He’ll be looking for a new challenge by then, and who better to root out cultural Marxism from the US! In some ways, Russia and the U.S. seem to have switched cultures over the last four to five decades. Clearly the overall trajectory during that time has been for more democracy in Russia and less democracy in the U.S., though the two trajectories have not yet crossed. Still, Putin seems much more like JFK than does Biden.
Reading of the full transcript, as well as listening to the interview, is highly recommended. The excerpts below have been selected, in part, to be those most surprising to those in the thrall of the highly biased US mainstream media. The 32,000+ online comments accompanying the video are also highly informative.
SELECTED QUOTES FROM PUTIN
(Here are the first two. If you want the other 4 pages worth, email me at hurlbert@sdsu.edu !)
Any suggestions as to a reputable venue to publish this?
***************
On Trump
“Mr Trump is not a career politician. He has a distinct world outlook and vision of US national interests. I do not accept many of his methods when it comes to addressing problems. But do you know what I think? I think that he is a talented person. He knows very well what his voters expect from him. Russia has been accused, and, strange as it may seem, it is still being accused, despite the Mueller report, of mythical interference in the US election. What happened in reality? Mr Trump looked into his opponents’ attitude to him and saw changes in American society, and he took advantage of this.”
“Has anyone ever given a thought to who actually benefited and what benefits were gained from globalisation, the development of which we have been observing and participating in over the past 25 years, since the 1990s? China has made use of globalisation, in particular, to pull millions of Chinese out of poverty. What happened in the US, and how did it happen? In the US, the leading US companies — the companies, their managers, shareholders and partners — made use of these benefits. The middle class hardly benefited from globalisation. The take-home pay in the US (we are likely to talk later about real incomes in Russia, which need special attention from the government) .... The middle class in the US has not benefited from globalisation; it was left out when this pie was divided up. The Trump team sensed this very keenly and clearly, and they used this in the election campaign. It is where you should look for reasons behind Trump’s victory, rather than in any alleged foreign interference.”
*********************
America First, Russia First, all good
[Barber: “But what you said is absolutely fascinating. Here you are, the President of Russia, defending globalisation along with [China’s] President Xi [Jinping] whereas Mr Trump is attacking globalisation and talking about America First. How do you explain this paradox?” Putin: “I don’t think that his desire to make America first is a paradox. I want Russia to be first, and that is not perceived as a paradox; there is nothing unusual there.”
In support of Marti Holloway's earlier comments on Russia, Ukraine, etc., here's the intro to an article I started in 2021 based on the Financial Times 2019 interview of Putin:
Vladmir Putin: Classical Liberal, Intelligent Dignified Statesman, Thoughtful Russia Firster, Agile Interviewee, Funny, Insightful Observer of America’s Cultural Decline
Stuart H. Hurlbert, compiler
Vladimir Putin interviewed by the Financial Times | FT (90m video)
The Financial Times is the first major international newspaper to be granted an interview with the Russian leader for 16 years. Here is the exclusive interview with editor Lionel Barber and Moscow bureau chief Henry Foy in full (90min video), uploaded July 5, 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbY0VpyjtuI
Full Transcript: ‘All this fuss about spies ... it is not worth serious interstate relations’
“This is the transcript of a conversation between Vladimir Putin, Russian president, Lionel Barber, Financial Times editor, and Henry Foy, the FT’s Moscow bureau chief, which took place on Wednesday 26 June in the Kremlin. Mr Putin’s quotes are translated from the Russian.”
The Russian president on globalization, China, Trump and the end of the ‘liberal idea’. Vladimir Putin, Russian president, says the 'liberal idea' has outlived its purpose. NOTE: Putin uses the term "liberal" for what classical liberals in the U.S. would usually call "illiberal", “progressive”, “woke” or "politically correct."
https://www.ft.com/content/878d2344-98f0-11e9-9573-ee5cbb98ed36
Question for the reader: Should the U.S. borrow Putin to run for the U.S. presidency in 2024? He’ll be looking for a new challenge by then, and who better to root out cultural Marxism from the US! In some ways, Russia and the U.S. seem to have switched cultures over the last four to five decades. Clearly the overall trajectory during that time has been for more democracy in Russia and less democracy in the U.S., though the two trajectories have not yet crossed. Still, Putin seems much more like JFK than does Biden.
Reading of the full transcript, as well as listening to the interview, is highly recommended. The excerpts below have been selected, in part, to be those most surprising to those in the thrall of the highly biased US mainstream media. The 32,000+ online comments accompanying the video are also highly informative.
SELECTED QUOTES FROM PUTIN
(Here are the first two. If you want the other 4 pages worth, email me at hurlbert@sdsu.edu !)
Any suggestions as to a reputable venue to publish this?
***************
On Trump
“Mr Trump is not a career politician. He has a distinct world outlook and vision of US national interests. I do not accept many of his methods when it comes to addressing problems. But do you know what I think? I think that he is a talented person. He knows very well what his voters expect from him. Russia has been accused, and, strange as it may seem, it is still being accused, despite the Mueller report, of mythical interference in the US election. What happened in reality? Mr Trump looked into his opponents’ attitude to him and saw changes in American society, and he took advantage of this.”
“Has anyone ever given a thought to who actually benefited and what benefits were gained from globalisation, the development of which we have been observing and participating in over the past 25 years, since the 1990s? China has made use of globalisation, in particular, to pull millions of Chinese out of poverty. What happened in the US, and how did it happen? In the US, the leading US companies — the companies, their managers, shareholders and partners — made use of these benefits. The middle class hardly benefited from globalisation. The take-home pay in the US (we are likely to talk later about real incomes in Russia, which need special attention from the government) .... The middle class in the US has not benefited from globalisation; it was left out when this pie was divided up. The Trump team sensed this very keenly and clearly, and they used this in the election campaign. It is where you should look for reasons behind Trump’s victory, rather than in any alleged foreign interference.”
*********************
America First, Russia First, all good
[Barber: “But what you said is absolutely fascinating. Here you are, the President of Russia, defending globalisation along with [China’s] President Xi [Jinping] whereas Mr Trump is attacking globalisation and talking about America First. How do you explain this paradox?” Putin: “I don’t think that his desire to make America first is a paradox. I want Russia to be first, and that is not perceived as a paradox; there is nothing unusual there.”
****************