Mike PouraryanChavez & Putin: A Love Story!??!?
April 4th 2010 06:36
I have been reviewing with amusement Vladimir Putin's recent escapade to Venezuela. He and Mr. Chavez, The Venezuelan El Supremo, have made some deals. There seems to be genuine love between the two.
The apparent highlight of this visit has been an agreement for Venezuela to seek out Russian help to develop its' Space Industry. This is where the problems begin. For one thing, Venezuela is in trouble economically and socially. Venezuela's Capital, Caracas, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The economy is suffering in a major way in large measure due to the misguided policies of the El Supremo under the guise of knowing it all. The last statistic I have seen is that inflation is hovering around 30% and rising. It only makes sense that he focuses on the basics and then work to be a "super power". El Supremo, on the other hand wants to do things differently. Chavez reminds of the character "El Supremo" in the classic Captain Horatio Hornblower:
I guess one maniac will find his soulmate in another one. Putin is cut of the same cloth. As President, he bombed Chechyna into submission and put a thug in charge. Grozny has been rebuilt, but at what cost. Now, with the killings in Dagestan and the bombings in Moscow, the Russians will need to figure out what to do with the restive Southern Region. A 17-year old widow blew herself up in the midst of Moscow. What is clear is that the Russian Leadership has a profound challenge on its hand. Despite its' claims of glory, the only thing that continues to sustain it is its natural resources. Their technology is interesting and making inroads. But, underneath that bravado is a shallowness that the leadership needs to figure how to address instead of trying to create spheres of influence.
The terrorists have already won in many ways. George W. Bush was right when noted that they had to be right once. What I find troubling is that both countries have their profound challenges---yet they try to pretend to be what they're not.
The apparent highlight of this visit has been an agreement for Venezuela to seek out Russian help to develop its' Space Industry. This is where the problems begin. For one thing, Venezuela is in trouble economically and socially. Venezuela's Capital, Caracas, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The economy is suffering in a major way in large measure due to the misguided policies of the El Supremo under the guise of knowing it all. The last statistic I have seen is that inflation is hovering around 30% and rising. It only makes sense that he focuses on the basics and then work to be a "super power". El Supremo, on the other hand wants to do things differently. Chavez reminds of the character "El Supremo" in the classic Captain Horatio Hornblower:
I guess one maniac will find his soulmate in another one. Putin is cut of the same cloth. As President, he bombed Chechyna into submission and put a thug in charge. Grozny has been rebuilt, but at what cost. Now, with the killings in Dagestan and the bombings in Moscow, the Russians will need to figure out what to do with the restive Southern Region. A 17-year old widow blew herself up in the midst of Moscow. What is clear is that the Russian Leadership has a profound challenge on its hand. Despite its' claims of glory, the only thing that continues to sustain it is its natural resources. Their technology is interesting and making inroads. But, underneath that bravado is a shallowness that the leadership needs to figure how to address instead of trying to create spheres of influence.
The terrorists have already won in many ways. George W. Bush was right when noted that they had to be right once. What I find troubling is that both countries have their profound challenges---yet they try to pretend to be what they're not.
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