PUTRIOTISM: devoted love, support and defence of Putin.
In my previous post I discussed the macho aspect
of Putinocracy and why many Russians are so proud of his 'alpha-male' foreign
policy. Now I want to further explore what I think are core aspects of zealous
support for Putin, which I’ll call Putriotism.
One of
the difficulties I've had in debating with 'Putriots' is that they readily
become defensive and deflect any discussions towards an attack on 'The West /
USA'. This is an effective fallacious argument commonly known as 'two wrongsmake a right' or 'tu quoque' (you also) when used against you personally. For example, if I point
out that Putin has invaded a sovereign nation on a manufactured pretext, they
quickly remind me that the US invaded Iraq on false claims of WMDs. The
argument is that both actions are wrong but since I do not criticise the US
then I should not be criticising Putin. However, this argument fails if I
explain that both actions are wrong and that I criticise the US just as much as Putin.
HYPOCRISY
In my
mind, the USA has very little moral standing in the world right now. I'm not going to
detail the multitude of reasons but John Kerry's:
“You just don’t invade another
country on phony pretext in order to assert your interests … This is an act of
aggression that is completely trumped up in terms of its pretext. It’s really
19th century behavior in the 21st century.”
is a perfect example of US hypocrisy that Putin
relies on to whip up support. The thrust of Putin's propaganda machine has been
on fixating Russians on the West's hypocrisy. Incidentally, it's also a sign of Russian insecurity that the US wasn't satisfied with the collapse of the USSR and wants to finish off Russia. What astounds me is that Putriots
do not recognise the fallacy and the ethical flaw in such logic: «Well, if the
USA can invade a country, why can't we?»
Europe may have a better moral standing than the
US but the stereotype of The West is so imprinted in Russian minds (especially
the ones who've lived through the Cold War) that I don't think rhetoric of
human rights, democracy, rule of law etc. is going to get much traction in
Russia, even if it's coming from Europe. Russians have, in a sense, been
vaccinated against this for at least the last 14 years and many have an
excellent immune reaction to Western criticism.
Another interesting strategy is that Putin mixes
truth with propaganda. By describing the geo-political struggles between the US
and Russia, the belligerence and hypocrisy of the US, the expansion of NATO
etc, he builds rapport. It is then more difficult to be critical when he
justifies his actions. Hence, I demand to discuss issues separately in any argument.
So the machoism and obsession with US hypocrisy
suggest that confrontational negotiations with the US or, worse, American threats will only
embolden Putin to demonstrate his 'alpha'-ness. On the other hand, appeasement
may be dangerous if he has ambitions to conquer more ex-Soviet land. Perhaps a more neutral party might stand a better chance of reaching agreements with him or exerting influence.
"Sane advice along these lines has recently been given by former Israeli
Foreign Minister and historian Shlomo ben-Ami, writing in the Beirut Daily
Star: “Russia must seek genuine strategic partnership with the US, and the
latter must understand that, when excluded and despised, Russia can be a major
global spoiler. Ignored and humiliated by the US since the Cold War ended,
Russia needs integration into a new global order that respects its interests as
a resurgent power, not an anti-Western strategy of confrontation.”"
However, if Putin is driven by a macho desire to bring back
Russian glory then perhaps isolation may be the most effective response. Surely
he is basking in all the attention at the moment. I believe that cutting off
Russia from the West economically and politically will have a strong impact on
Russia and Putin's ego. It should significantly change the dynamics and might
dampen the Putriots' enthusiasm. A passive-aggressive approach would be more effective than confrontation, which would just fuel Putriotism. Here are some suggestions for dealing with an alpha-male that could be adapted. However, given the strong economic ties
between Russia's oligarchs and Europe the real test will be whether Europe can
walk the walk.
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