I hope I’m not coming off too much like Ezra Pound in the Mussolini era when I express my general admiration for, and approval of, Vladimir Putin. No, I don’t agree with everything he’s done in the past decade, but then again I don’t agree with everything that I’ve done in the past decade. He’s a defender of Christianity in an era where world leaders are tripping over themselves to feed Christians to the metaphorical lions of resurgent Islam. He appears to sincerely believe in the greatness of his nation and his ability to contribute to that greatness.
Most importantly, it turns out that we dig the same tailors.
I don’t have enough Russian (which is to say, I have none at all) to be able to read this page in its entirety. The pictures, however, speak the proverbial thousand words. Putin, like your humble author, is a Kiton devotee! Turns out he wears the red-label jeans all over the place. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the brand, Wikipedia will serve well enough.
In my former life as a successful small businessman/entrepreneur, I occasionally availed myself of a Kiton tie, shirt, or blazer. There’s no substitute for occasionally wearing the very best. Keep in mind that Kiton isn’t Michael Kors or Kenneth Cole or some sort of utter stinking Chinese bullshit like that. I’ve been wearing the same Kiton linen jacket for a decade now. I’ve worn it in probably thirty states and three continents, in conditions ranging from sub-zero to Texas-in-the-summer. It’s been dropped into mud and backed over with a car and used as an airplane pillow and had fountain pens leak in it and, in one unfortunate incident, used to wipe blood from my face after I, ahem, fell down a set of stairs in an alcohol-related incident near Washington, DC. You can’t kill it. It looks brand new.
Which is good, because the last time I went to a Kiton store their Summer 2015 linen coats were up to $6,800 base price. I can’t currently afford to replace either of my K-brand coats. For just $895, however, I could join Vladimir in the exalted ranks of Kiton denim cognoscenti. I ain’t gonna do it, though, and I’ll tell you why. Given my current streak of luck, if I put them on to ride a motorcycle, I’d almost certainly dump said bike. Not hard enough to kill me, but hard enough to ruin the pants.
Maybe I’ll get lucky and Mr. Putin will put some of his old Kiton jeans on eBay or something. Not that I could fit into them — I’m much closer to the proverbial Russian bear in size, really — but with two pairs and a patient tailor I might be able to come up with something. The truth, however, is that I panicked when Lucky discontinued their USA-made jeans and promptly bought ten pairs of what they had left. So if you see me wearing denim on the street, it will be Lucky. Ironic, really, until you consider that, for good or (mostly) for bad, I make my own luck.
Putin, like many Russian leaders of the past, has been totally underestimated by America and vilified for internal political reasons.
Compare, if you will, Putin to his presidential opposition: Obama, Bush Jr., Clinton. Putin trumped all three. Now make that same comparison looking in the future with Putin against Trump or Hillary. You see what I mean.
Say what you want, but the guy has resolve and a vision of Russia much more aligned with its historic geo-political place. They’re a player and as Europeans they should be our natural ally in the climate/population bomb comming our way. Just listen to (or read) any of Professor Emeitus Stephen F. Cohen’s (professor emeritus Russian studies/history/politics NYU) comments on the subject.
realpolitik
1. A German word meaning politics of realism, used to mean a cynical policy of pursuing a state’s own interests.
2. An approach to politics that is not idealistic but ruthlessly opportunistic, especially in advancing the interests of a country.
This is what Vlad believes in and practices, unapologetically. If you want to challenge the bear, you must take him head on, and no modern western politician has the courage or resolve to do this. He knows it, and will play all his cards face up. Perhaps the West can take a lesson in “thug life” from him and save us a great deal of pain. Can anyone wonder why, “Make America Great Again” is selling to packed houses all over the country?
Vladimir Putin was not the first world class leader to espouse realpolitik.
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It was Henry Kissinger. Putin is just making sure he keeps up with the game.
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Like Jack I don’t agree with everything either Putin or I have done in the last ten years.
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But he strikes me as a straightforward man, one who doesn’t pretend to be what he is not. Rather, he is unabashedly a Russian patriot and a successful politician.
What also seems to be an important part of his character and his persona is his devotion to judo, which gives him both confidence and the ability to stand his ground without the need for either excessive violence or capitulation.
As such, he is far more appealing and worthy of respect than many of our two-faced leaders, who think nothing of lying to their constituents while simultaneously admitting the truth to their children (Hello, Hill…looking at you. Benghazi/video causation.)
Putin seems like he might choose not to tell you everything, but he strikes me as a man who does not habitually resort to lying in an attempt to deceive people. Instead, he is more likely to simply go forward doing things his way, confident in the knowledge that he speaks for very many of the Russian people, almost all of whom wish for a return to a time when Russia was on the ascendant globally, or at least was able to give a plausible appearance of being so.
No doubletalk like the Obamaspeak refusal to mention the words Islam and terrorism in the same sentence for months.
If I had a chance to spend an afternoon speaking with him about other than politics, or almost any of the current crop of our “leaders”, I am sure I would find him to be far more interesting, and would be more inclined to seal a deal with him on a handshake, than I would with the weasels we have set before us as US leaders.
There are some exceptions, but none of them are in the front row of photo-ops, nor do they appear in front page articles, at least not with any consistency. Our “top tier” comes off looking shabby, pathetic and foolish by comparison.
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I am glad that he is the head of Russia, and not the leader and chief strategist for ISIS. And he may very well prove to be the principle reason that ISIS/Daesh will be subdued in time.
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It is a hell of a note when the most direct and straightforward world leader today is the head of a country we have historically been at odds with.
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And yes, I know about his KGB past. But how is that any different than Bush’s CIA past, for example?
I am not an admirer of the Communist system of government and economics. But I am not a big fan of crony capitalism and behind-closed-door governance such as we are offered out of our chambers of government in DC, either.
But as a man and a leader, he comes off as twice as competent as anything on this side of the globe, unfortunately for us, but good at least for the global war on terror. Indeed, he may be the only leader capable of successfully orchestrating the dismantling of Daesh.
And if that is his goal and he is successful at it, I can only say “more power to him.”
Hi Jack. Check out my blazer. Two 12-gauge for the front buttons, and eight .410 bore for the cuffs.
https://scontent-kul1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/12243165_10153582785850935_565944184898366332_n.jpg?oh=4044201a775747c8505c0abaa4844b08&oe=56E4FB28
Putin genuine belief in the greatness of his nation is only admirable in the abstract. He laments the fall of USSR as the greatest geopilitical tragedy. His idea of a nation is former Soviet empire and will take every opportunity granted by spineless US and European leadership to conquer it back. A liberator he is not.
His resolve and decisiveness in dealing with Islamic terrorists is admirable.
Putin vs. Obama
KGB Officer vs. Community Organizer
Fluent in German vs. Fluent in teleprompter
Nationalist vs. Citizen of the World
Why are we losing ?!
Kiton jeans are nice. But for budget options I’ve been partial to APC, momotaro and white oak lately.
Also, as an American citizen I don’t want my president to be a defender of Christianity; a defender of freedom and secularism and human rights…yes; a defender of any religion over another? No.
Putin believes in the greatness of his country and practices realpolitik; which is refreshing. But, he also is complicit in ignoring or squashing the rights of minorities within Russia and sometimes I get the feeling that he is nostalgic for, and in some ways would like to go back to, a somewhat fascist Soviet Union-esque state.
When the nation is 51% Muslim, you can kiss your freedom, secularism, and human rights goodbye.
Why is that? What makes you say that?
A)The Abrahamic faiths believe in most of the same basic principles of morality etc as do most faith’s. Morality is pretty universal between humanity.
B) We have this little document called The Constitution of The United States of America…and this thing called the separation of church and state…which protects our freedom, secularism, and human rights.
Why is every islamic country a festering turd then
When 51% of the voters believe in enslaving those of other Abrahamic covenants who do not convert, and/or collecting a tax only from them, you can kiss our Constitution goodbye. The law of the land will be sharia.
I have known people who embrace Islam who are nice, even decent people. But as a religion, it is a politico-militaristic religion, in a way that perhaps Christianity was a thousand years ago, but it no longer is.
And if we allow ourselves to treat is as just another religion on the great circle of life, we well end up finding out what life is like as second class citizens without freedom of conscience, when and if we have an electorate with the demographics of a UAE, an Iran, or any of several other predominantly Muslim countries.
Only Hinduism seeks to impose as rigid a class structure as Islam. But in Hinduism, there are rigid layers. In Islam, there is only officially one layer; all are equal. In reality, there are two classes: the leadership few and the vast majority of followers, largely unable to show that they are willing or able to insist on a democratically run country with freedom for all.
Only Turkey comes close, and then mostly only because every other example is so far removed from constitutional freedoms and democracy.
Study your history. Those who do not will be condemned to repeat it.
Putin is directing most of his airstrikes against the Syrian Free Army, not ISIS. There was a proxy war being fought in Syria between US supplied rebels, Russian & Iranian backed Assad loyalists, with ISIS awkwardly in the middle. Putin’s whole motivation in my estimation is to distract his populace from the cratering economy back home. The Ruble was 45 to the dollar a year ago and is now 65. Anyone who talks about Russia being strong and resurgent is trying to sell F-22’s or something, they can’t afford to build any of their new technology & 75% of their army is short-term contract conscripts.
All of your points are valid. It’s also a valid point that Russia has oil and oil won’t be cheap much longer.
The constitution can be reinterpreted once they get the justices.