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| The Alliance |
| Putin goes with his gut |
| 2001-10-26 |
For the first time anyone can recall, Putin has acted with his gut and without any guarantee of reward. A purely rational analysis would have convinced Putin to equivocate post-Sept. 11. The Russian public, after all, doesnât care about helping the United States against al-Qaida. Polls find a majority of Russians believe they should remain neutral. And Putinâs generals and spooks hate the idea of American troops occupying old Soviet bases. But Putin has ignored cold good sense because he seems to have a âvisceral and psychological and bloodyminded feeling about terrorism and the Taliban.â says Andrew Weiss, the chief Russia hand for President Clintonâs National Security Council. Putin is from St. Petersburg, the most European Russian city, and has always been oriented west. Russians, including Putin, are infatuated with Samuel Huntingtonâs âclash of civilizationsâ thesis, and Putin thinks that Russia is the civilized worldâs first line of defense against Muslim extremist hordes (âThe Talibs at the gates,â as Weiss puts it). Putin loathes Islamic extremism and doesnât much like any Muslimsâeven though they comprise one-sixth of the Russian population. He has waged war so brutally in Chechnya because he really believesâmostly incorrectlyâthat the Chechen rebellion is first and foremost an Islamist terror operation. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |