Putin's Revenge: Strobe Talbott (interview) | FRONTLINE

[buckluster]

It's amazing to have these long, in depth, virtually unedited interviews. Truly enlightening...and there's a lot to be gleaned from watching someone listen to questions!

[Bosstok]

I’m in awe of these interviews. Extra strong delivery PBS. 🙌

[groopmmex]

Great to have Frontline presenting 20 plus hours on this subject, very informative. Well done, thank you!

[bronwyndoyle]

The Putin Files. Brilliant. Thank you for documenting this information. Sorry the late great Boris Nemtsov could not have contributed.

[paulbell]

This is a very interesting series. It is especially interesting to hear the opinions of those people who actually were in the “front” lines of the events leading up to 2016 elections in the US – politicians, government officials, top ranking intelligence officers. In my humble opinion, however, it is somewhat naïve to believe that all disasters start with Mr Putin and all disasters will end once he is gone.
I think the very appearance and rise of Putin to power would have never taken place if there was no “need” for Mr Putin. In other words by the time he took reins of power in the end of 20th century the situation within Russia that could be characterized as “grab as much as you can and make money as quickly as you can” (or in other words Wild West type of economy), that situation grew into a different type of situation. The entire class of new Russian “aristocracy” was formed and to a large extent the spheres of influence in the economy or the way money is divided between the major players has been determined. To pursue their goal of controlling their shares of the “pie” and enriching themselves both by means of exploiting natural resources and securing lucrative government contracts this group of players needed an apparatus that could provide them with means and tools to implement their schemes in the most efficient manner. In other words they needed apparatus which could serve unfailingly to their interests, overriding whenever necessary all other considerations in terms of constitutional norms, healthy judicial practice and if necessary even common sense if common sense was against some immediate gains.
That’s where Putin stepped in so confidently with his background and connections of KGB officer and uncanny ability to make deals quickly and in the manner most appeasing to those who stand to benefit from those deals. However to attribute to him alone all the deviousness of current political regime in Russia, in my view, would have been too flattering both to his mental abilities and his leadership skills. In a similar manner it would be too naïve to put all the blame for horrors of Stalin’s repressions on Stalin himself. Stalin would have never been able to carry on with his repressions on such a scale if not for the willingness of thousands, tens of thousands of those who carried out his orders and implemented his policies with vigour and enthusiasm of those who derived if not a pleasure then surely some satisfaction from being able to change reality around them so quickly and so decisively.
I’m afraid there is whole new class of people in Russia whose very perception of such an idea as “public servant” is very different as compared to the one accepted, let’s say, in Western Europe, in Germany or in Denmark. They perceive their status as status of someone who can avail himself/herself of certain measure of power to pursue a primary goal of securing for themselves certain financial security and whenever possible to enrich themselves using privileges of their positions. As a major tribute to this opportunity to lift themselves above the ordinary they give an unofficial vow to stand to orders from “above” whatever those orders may be. In other words it is a rather archaic perception of a local deputy to those in power rather than someone who has been chosen and hired by general public to act as their manager in the interests of the public.
I’m afraid this type of attitude which clearly is reminiscent of the old days of Tzar’s Russia is still prevalent in modern day perceptions of the majority of ordinary Russians or it is accepted with acquiescence on their part as something that is simply unavoidable.
I’m afraid it will take the time of an entire generation or maybe even two generations and comprehensive training aimed at education of a whole new cohort of young professionals to change this very attitude and to reverse the current of political thinking.
I think it would be rather naïve to think that the world can expect some significant changes in terms of Russian domestic and foreign policies if Putin doesn’t win the upcoming elections or if some powerful group stages “a coup d’etat” to impress the world and to trick the world into thinking that “now it’s going to be all different”.
There was an article on Yahoo front web page about elderly woman in Britain who despite her age and her poor health, tried to block caravan owners from entering reservation area and suffered verbal abuse and brute force on the part of the offender. The offender was charged with misconduct, fined and sentenced to hours of public works. This, in my view, the way real democracy and real judicial system should work. Not downward from above all the time, but mostly upward from below. I’m afraid in modern Russia plain activists like that British woman are habitually pushed aside to the fringes of life without mercy and without much consideration. They are pushed aside not by just some passing bullies. They are pushed aside by the system itself. The system which consists of thousands, tens of thousands of Putin’s deputies with their very peculiar perception of what it means to be a public servant. In all their honesty this army of deputies don’t really care whose name is on their banner, Putin’s or someone else’s. All they care about is the world around them which they can control and manipulate for mutual benefit to themselves and to those who are higher on the ladder.
It’s easy to see how the West would be appeased with surrender in terms of Ukrainian territories in exchange for lifting up the sanctions. It wouldn’t eliminate the problem in the long run though. It is easy to see that as usual the interests of new Russian aristocracy lies with money they’ve made and accumulated in the last 25 years. The existing bureaucratic apparatus reinforced with intelligence agencies, police force and newly formed National Guard is a convenient tool to keep the vast territory called Russian Federation under control and exploit it pretty much in the same manner feudal lords of the past exploited their lands populated by their serfs. It is highly unlikely that current political elite would dispose of this tool eagerly.
The idea of “Russian World” used by Putin as major ideological premise of his foreign policies since his speech in Munich in 2007 could be abandoned should the elite surrounding him decide that perhaps his narrative and his agenda have been a “little bit” too “irritating” to the West. But then once again there could be some other agenda. Big money always finds its way to negotiating table. It is responsibility of the West therefore whether they will be discerning enough to see the line between their own material interests and subtle encroachment on the very principles of Western democracy. Hopefully they won’t be as late as they were in giving due attention and appraisal to the events in the summer 2016.

[OemmaGeom]

Interesting, penetrating perspective.
Thank you for all these interviews, Frontline!

[nicolaiandersen]

chilling to hear this interview today.

[christinatachdjian]

I loved listening to this guy describe his interactions with Putin from all those years ago. Extremely interesting material. I loved hearing about how Putin looked and behaved. A great interview for anyone who has a Putin interest! ❤️💙

[Ihatepotatosski]

This is why i LOVE PBS. High quality documentaries, well worth every tax dollar

[tombarker]

Interesting--Mr. Talbott states that Putin has/had a law degree, yet when they interview Yevgenia Albats, she states that Putin does not have a law degree and she goes on to explain what it means for Putin to have a law degree.

[davidsawyer]

It struck me while reviewing these interviews. Are the folks compensated? The answer is no. No one interviewed is paid. This is the shortest interview at roughly 36 minutes. Some of the interviews are over 2 hours. This is my thought. Time is money. These folks could go and give a 1 hour speech with a 15 minute Q and A afterwards and make 5 figures easily. Being interviewed by Frontline does not add to their credibility or does it add credibility to Frontline. My point is these folks could have politely declined. Very unselfish in my opinion.

[megahappybemeIntheStarz]

That insanity quote is often mistakenly attributed to Einstein. It is the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over again and expecting different results.

[terencewinters]

Putin had the administrative skills closest to stalin and the kgb fsb skills of beria and the westward looking out look of a peter the great. So in sum democracy was dangerous markets were chancy and nationalistic pride against outsiders was healthy paranoia.

[MajorTom]

"guilty of 20/20 hindsight" great phrase.

[vankilaya]

Strobe Talbot, in 1992 was Former President Bill Clinton's deputy Secretary of State, on July 20th, 1992 in Time Magazine was quoted as saying the following: "In the next century, nations as we know it will be obsolete, all states will recognize a single, global authority. National sovereignty wasn't such a great idea after all." I would ask Mr. Talbot to whom was national sovereignty not such a great idea after all and just who would be the "single global authority", of which he spoke?
Of course, the questions which I pose are rhetorical, as the answers are clear to anyone with a brain who has been paying attention closely for the last 4 years +.

These are the globalists who propose you will own nothing and be happy, must take your shots or else, want to control your currencies, your food, and your entire life.

If I were suddenly to find myself as the leader of a once great nation tasked with saving it, I would most certainly give Mr. Talbot, and ALL his associates, which include the Bushes, the Clintons, the Obamas, the WEF, CFR, "and so forth and so on.", which Mr. Talbot is so fond of saying, basically, "The Globalists", who virtually own everything at this point, I would, WITH OUT QUESTION, , give them one thing for sure... THE BIG MIDDLE FINGER AND SAVE MY NATION, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY IT !!!

Once we can see clearly this is their plan, WHY would anyone not stop to see that this is Exactly what Putin is doing.. he GAVE THEM ALL THE BIG MIDDLE FINGER and THEY DON'T LIKE IT... AND TRUMP TOO... the end, nothing else to talk about... look up the quote for yourself...

PBS = PROPAGANDA BROADCAST SERVICE TRUST NOTHING COMING OUT OF STROBES MOUTH, OR OUT OF ANY OF THE MOUTHS OF ANY OF HIS BUDDIES, IF YOU ARE WISE

[terencewinters]

SB was the guy who took papers from the national archives.

[marleneg]

The Brennan and Clapper interviews are very interesting.

[mrgyani]

The concluding statement in this interview gives me hope..

[ville]

yes, yes. putin was in kgb. but the truth of the matter is that he was just a low ranking bureaucrat, nothing more...

[jalijali]

He went ahead & did it again too, whatever happens in Ukraine- Putin will be the ultimate loser, as will Russia, it's a dead end.