On the contrary. You and ngb1066 have overegged the pudding so many times you have no credibility left. Had you stuck to NATO's mistakes you might have been taken more seriously, instead of trying to justify a terrible, despotic, illegal regime, which is Putin's Russia.
Now listen and learn: https://youtu.be/wMiFNSZg6hE
In common with every single post that you have made on this thread, your latest adds nothing to anyone's understanding. This is unsurprising since you have no understanding of the "Realpolitik" of world affairs. The fact that you use terminology such as ""terrible, despotic, illegal regime which is Putin's Russia" instead of explaining to anyone reading exactly how the Russian government is "terrible, despotic or illegal" is telling. You have a childish understanding of world affairs and speak in soundbites and mantras.
By any reasonable metric, Putin is the most respected world leader on the planet. The fact that indoctrinated western media consumers believe him to be the second coming of Hitler, Genghis Khan and probably the Devil himself is testament only to the shallowness and lack of any real knowledge or insight of those still dumb enough to read western mainstream media and still take it seriously.
It is perfectly clear to anyone who can read that the analysis put forward by both me and NGB has stood the test of time on this now 9+ years long thread. On the other hand, according to your long running commentary Russia should have been crushed long ago. You have been consistent only in your proven to be wrong headed "analysis". I placed analysis in inverted commas because when applied to you it is a euphemism for, "simply repeating the headlines from the Daily Telegraph, BBC, Independent et al". Read through the thread, Steve. You should be embarrassed to be still posting this drivel after being proven wrong time and time again.
All of this aside, what are you even trying to say in your witless and pointless post. Putin is the President of The Russian Federation. He is elected democratically and is supported by the vast majority of Russians. These are the facts that you have to deal with honestly. I have no say nor investment in Russian domestic politics. That is for Russians to decide and I have made this clear numerous times in this thread. How Putin acts geopolitically is all that I am concerned with. It is you who constantly raises the issue of Russian domestic politics, albeit in the above mentioned soundbites and mantras lifted directly from what the BBC or Telegraph say. To be kind, your understanding of Russian domestic politics, is no worse than your understanding of geopolitics. To be less kind, you have nothing of truth or value to say about either.
