Conversation: Understanding Putin's Logic

Stratfor analysts Robert D. Kaplan and Lauren Goodrich discuss the Russian president's strategy for Russia and the region.

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[austinbluedog]

How does she think "Putin" has isolated Russians from Western thinking in social media?  I'm in contact with many people via social media, without being in any way impeded.

[BobanOrlovic]

The girl on the right knows some serious shit,  you can just see it in her eyes.

[lorezzoalbaniny]

Man more people need to watch stuff like this instead of politicians twisting everything

[rht]

russia is being ringed by the usa/nato since the day the soviet union fell i do not support some policies of putin but i do understand why he does what he does.

[buturug]

For the countries neighbouring with Russia the Stratfor analysis of Russian conditions are extremely usefull.

[deanseawa]

This is a good conversation but it needs to be updated to incorporate the change in oil prices.

[adamlynch]

This 'Pootin' guy sounds dangerous, I hope Vladamir Putin does turn out like him.

[bjklein]

Nice to see something that looks beyond pure propaganda!  Keep up the good work.

[meee]

@Gerald O'Hare one has to simply look at russian past history and its current state. russia has been invaded by all the major european powers at some point, and most of them reached the capital if not came very close to it. 
currently there is only one european country willing to enter into a alliance with russia, while all the others are allied with usa (russia's geopolitical foe) with usa putting anti missile bases all over europe against russia. nato also said after the fall of the soviet union they were not going to come closer to russias borders, that exactly what they did.

so im sure you can see why russia is alarmed and fearful of the west, and not of nations such as china which is an ally, and has a lot more reasons to invade, and which is seriously stronger than the russian army. and also there are natural barriers between china and moscow, which there are no natural barriers between western europe and moscow. 

so russias fear is not at all irrational. 

[jediRAVE]

I like this girl. She is awesome. Her view is very acute and knowledge based, rather than emotional

[chairde]

Russia has the largest land mass in the world and still it isn't enough.

[Gogofam]

the thing is most of usa and Europe think about Russia from western perspective, but if you will think for a minute and put your self in Russian side, all the things Putin does will make perfect sense, WE MUST REMEMBER EVERY COUNTRY IS THINKING ONLY ABOUT HIS OWN GOODNESS. PERIOD.

[total]

Nobody isolate Russia, except the USA. Other countries cooperating, especialy EU, China, Brasil with Putin. Isnt America isolate with this events in Ukraina?

[chewzet]

good luck with analysts as insightful as Kaplan and Goodrich

[SandorDaroci]

maybe he should have just close the gas lines and let Ukraine and EU freeze. huh?

[lowkell]

"Fewer people" not "less people."

[serbanmike]

So, our filter is always "look for adversaries" don't look for cooperation, don'tlook for friendship, look at Russians (and not only Russians) as if they have to die and only you have to live, and grab every resource on this Earth for yourself.
 That is what we became" USA über alles"   just like "Deutschland über alles"  !
 Does this  reminds you of something else?

[rossarmstrong]

Clever man. I don't necessarily think that any system which requires annexing land is right but this is quite clever.

[jerseyflex]

*I'm one of the isolated (=.  I hope that more companies and officials use your knowledge to make rational decisions.  I think G. Friedman's projections on Russia are very accurate. Opposing simple fact that Belarus, Abkhazia, South-Eastern Ukraine, South Osetia and Kazakhstan will only get the countries more hostile and since there is a good immune system from and memory of 90's crises, defaults and ethnic wars.

[LieuC]

1:25 "Carving out a buffer state is a natural thing for Russian leaders." - That presumes Russia were about to be invaded, something which, in the present day, would be a most unnatural thing. Nor do I believe it is territory Putin thought of in acting so: his economic position as Superior Oligarch of the Federation is imperilled, for they fail to diversify the overall production base, relying on energy supply for income, something that is natural for a fearful dictator perhaps, but not a democratic, let alone modern,  statesman, and they need to keep people Nationalistic, ignorant, if they are to survive.