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Putin: The West’s Conflict With Russia Is Not About Ideology
In an interview with the Russian TV channel Rossiya President Vladimir Putin gave some insight into Russia's changing perspective of the West.
There is unfortunately no transcript available yet. Various Russian media provid snippets of the talk in English language:
I have yet to find the full interview. But these tweets of Djole include some quotes and subtitled video excerpts:
In an interview with Pavlo Zarubin, a well-known journalist on Russian state television, Putin spoke about deep misunderstandings that, he says, he initially mistakenly attributed to ideological differences. But over time, he points out, it became clear that the background is not ideology, but something else – interest.
"I thought that the contradictions with the West were primarily ideological. It seemed logical at the time – Cold War inertia, different views of the world, values, the organization of society," Putin said.
"But even when the ideology disappeared, when the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the same, almost routine deviation from Russia's interests continued. And it was not because of ideas, but because of the pursuit of advantages – geopolitical, economic, strategic."
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"The world respects only those who can protect themselves," he said. "Until we show that we are an independent and sovereign power that stands behind our interests, there will be no room for anyone to treat us as equals."
My very first thought when reading that was 'what took him so long'. During the Cold War I was indoctrinated with the fairy tale of Western freedoms versus the evils of eastern communism. But I for one have never accepted that view. Western animosity against Russia goes back many centuries. (Maybe even further back than the big schism of 1054). The fight against the 'evils of communism' was just a contemporary variance of it.
One might call that ideological but I believe that it always has been and is about greed. There is one side in this conflict which never seems to have enough and therefore aims for Russia's riches. What else explains Napoleon's march to Moscow or the British war in Crimea? (See Karlov1 who writes a bit more about the 'ideological' aspect of this.)
But why did it take Putin and Russia until 2022 to accept the consequences of this insight?
“…what took him so long…I for one have never accepted that view. Western animosity against Russia goes back many centuries…it always has been about greed..aims for Russia’s riches. What else explains Napoleon’s march to Moscow or the British war in Crimea”
Well, unlike all the commentators here who constantly, [and I mean constantly], remind normal people of how superior their intellect is, I too was fooled into thinking that the US position was based on a perceived ideological threat…
I enjoy reading history, I knew that Europe’s desire to dismember Russia was based on insatiable imperial greed but honestly, those effing empires were, post WWII, particularly the English one, but also the French/Dutch/Portuguese a bunch of sniveling twits unwilling, and in any case, incapable of taking care of their own empires, much less Russia’s. And let me be clear, in case the English-Observer peruses my pedantic ponderings, I am talking about the upper-most-classes whose, ever upward, flailing falls were so accurately documented in Monty-Python sketches five decades ago.
FDR and by measure FDRists did not exhibit the rabid hatred openly displayed by the Nazi/Nazists of Europe towards Russia/Russians. One has only to watch film of Khrushchev’s visit to the US, the crowd is not hostile even though the media’s “RED-SCARE” was at full volume. When Nixon said, “Trust but Verify” Americans accepted that, we had to deal with Russia. Nor when Gorbachev visited…people cheered his strolls into the crowd, he had faith in the American people and they loved him for it.
But…the denizens of the US-DoS, groomed by the Anglophilic/Francophilic preachings of ivy-school Profs had already successfully grafted Europe’s most undesirable traits onto the American tree. Most notable of those Profs was the reprehensible Woodrow Wilson who, cleansed Princeton of any Prof who dared to defy his doctrinal hatred of those he deemed to be inferior beings. And anyone who reads Kennan’s foul musings soon learns that the US Dept of State was an endless reservoir of such swamp creatures. Consider for example, the Dulles-bros who were Woodrow-Wilson acolytes, yes those polluted waters run deep. But that river is short, before Woodrow Wilson became Hitler’s muse, before the Eugenicist in Chief imposed Jim-Crow in DC, the US relationship with Russia was quite good.
So, you can imagine my surprise as a young man when I watched the DLC push out FDRist in the Democratic party using internecine lawfare against the remaining FDRist in the party and openly embracing Wilsonian racist/class-warfare. Most emblematic of these foul ivy-school creatures is that hideous medusa Hillary, she and other quadrupedal beasts were determined to institutionalize Europe’s despicable history of Empire in America and in the elitist enclaves of America, Hillary is venerated.
But…embracing Europe’s past empires and their millennial long hatred of Russia/Russians is still not widely accepted among Americans who have not been tutored to accept the Ivy-School’s institutionalized hatred of any rudimentary social justice. So there is hope.
Coming back to “what took him so long?” I think that Putin did not run into the Wilsonian cabal when he was stationed in Germany, he wouldn’t know of the dichotomy between those who govern and the governed. In all likelyhood, Putin met with Military attaches and like, dedicated Americans not schooled in western Europe’s endless hatreds wars and greed and got to like them because they seemed like good people because…wait for it…they were.
But…at a certain point the hopes and dreams of youth must left behind and Putin has taken way too long, particularly in ex-ukrainia. While Russia’s cheerleaders have waved their pom-poms in appreciation of Russia’s go-slow approach I have counseled otherwise. The diabolical nature of MI-6/US-3LAs/Mossad et al have used the time to start new fires along Russia’s periphery, expanding the war with no regard to the cost upon US/Europe’s working class…they are after all, either elitist or, sociopaths..but, I repeat myself. Putin must harden his heart and make short, decisive work of ex-ukrainia, he must retake the BSC to Transnistia and and sufficiently wide DMZ. Had Putin expended the resources earlier, an opportunity to negotiate an end of the “west’s” War Against Russia [WAR] would have been presented to Trump as “Fait accompli” upon office but, not now it’s too late.
“Who cares” says Dumbass, well, now Putin has three wars to quell instead of one and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sees an opportunity for the return of the Ottoman Empire which has given Englishmen in posh clubs much joy…tally ho they cry.
Posted by: S Brennan | Jul 14 2025 17:41 utc | 116
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