"Czar Putin?" by Patricia Smith Response

In the January issue of Upfront, there is an article called "Czar Putin?" written by Patricia Smith. In the beginning of the article, the author introduces the topic of Russia by describing  the president, Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin is known as a "ruthless dictator trampling on democracy" to many people outside of Russia. However, to many Russians he is known as a hero and a man who restored Russia to its full glory as a world power. Since Putin has been put into power, he has passed laws that gave authorities more opportunities to "crack down" anti-government street demonstrations. Russia's economy has been booming since their biggest export is oil. Then, the author discusses how in the past few years, Russia and America haven't had great relationship. This problem is making it harder for the two nations to work together and cooperate on other important global issues. On the other hand, with oil prices going down, Russia's economy isn't as good as it was before. With the worsening economy, Putin doesn't seem to look so much powerful as before. Russia's citizens have been harder to keep calm and with the other problems in Russia, it'll be harder for him to advance with his plans with the rest of world.

In this article, the message being said was that at a time, Vladimir Putin was a great president for Russia. Now, with Russia's declining economy however, Putin's aggression towards the west will have to be toned down. Not only has the economy been going down, Russians have been beginning to feel the impact of the worsening economy and protesting against it. The ideas/themes put into this article are mainly about Vladimir Putin's presidency and the problems in Russia. Many people believe that he is abusing his powers as president. For example, a few years ago, he arrested an all female punk band that were singing anti-Putin songs. Also, in 2008, he found a way to avoid the term limit law that didn't allow him running three times. He hand picked a successor and he'll be the prime minister which allowed him to be in control "behind the scenes". In 2008, presidential terms were extended to six years instead of four. Another big issue/theme the author addresses is the relationship between the U.S and Russia. The relationship hasn't been this low since the Cold War. This makes it harder for Russia and the U.S to work with each other and cooperate on other important world matters like the civil war in Syria and Iran's nuclear weapons. Another theme the author puts in the article are the different opinions people have on Putin. Many people believe he is one of the most dangerous men in the world. However, many Russian's adore him but even with the declining economy, many people still want him as president. An idea the author puts in the article is sacrifices and consequences of actions. In response to the annexation of Crimea, the U.S and Europe have put economic sanctions on Russia. With oil prices also declining Russia is loosing a lot of money. The economy wasn't thriving like how it was not that long ago. Although many people question that with all these problems Putin has on his hands, what will he do next? Vladimir Ryzhkov, an opposition politician in Russia predicts that if he keeps the "policy of greatness, of expansion, of confrontation with the west, he will be popular and supported by the people despite any economic crisis."

This article made me think about how people in the past might of abused or overused their power/rule. It made me think of whether or not their civilization succeeded or failed. In history, there were  many kings and queens and if they abused their rule, people could have rebelled and their rule would've failed. Sometimes there had been very successful rules and their country would be in a really good place. I wonder in Putin's presidency and decisions will help Russia or have more people go against him.