Lars Asmundsson 803
The article Czar Putin? by Patricia Smith is about the conflicting views around the world of Russian president Valdimir Putin. Some western pundits call his views 'authoritative' and 'tyrannical', yet he has a 87% approval rating among Russian citizens. His policies somewhat resemble those of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, but the Russian economy thrived for years, leading to Russian's labeling him a 'hero. Putin refusal to grant full freedom of the press and other basic rights to Russian citizens and his aggression in Ukraine has led to the U.S and other western powers strengthening economic sanctions on Russia, leading their economy into a free-fall, and partly erasing Putin's macho image.
The author talks about the correlation of the state of the Russian economy, and the Russian populations views on Putin. When the economy thrived, the Russian people were more-or-less able to overcome some of his bad policies, but now, with the economy in shambles, he has had to strengthen control over the press and suppress now-often street riots. Western sanctions on Russia has led to the decline in Putin's popularity and influence.
After reading this article, I realized that people are more inclined to overcome oppressive policies if the economy is stimulating job growth, and doing well overall, but when even the economy is doing subpar, people can come to realizations about the state of the government as a whole. This is a bad thing for Putin, but in my opinion, this is a good thing for the Russian people.
