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Is Putin Really That Popular?
Garry Kasparov, the main opposition candidate for the Russian presidency, has repeatedly denied that Putin’s approval rating is as high as 70-80% (as a number of polls have suggested). He argues that Russia is a police state and, as a result, poll numbers can’t be trusted. Is he on to something? I explore this idea over at Foreign Policy Watch.
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4 Responses to “Is Putin Really That Popular?”
Without needing to know exact numbers, I also bellieve that Putin is quite popular.
Lipman talks about the middle class’s apolitical nature, which I didn’t know about, but there are other factors, as well.
I believe that most Russians miss the days of USSR power in the region, when Russians could move to or visit the satellite states and assume the role of masters over the locals. I hink they like that Putins is making Russia a country to be reckoned with again.
It’s not unlike the Iranians. In spite of their problems with the regime, they are quite fond of Iran’s power In a conflict, they would back their own leadership all the way.
National pride is a powerful force in both countries..
I’ve studied a bit on Russian history and there is one thing that strikes me. Russians LOVE their iron fisted rulers. The Czars and even up to Stalin could abuse the populace to an unthinkable degree, and still there seemed to be some actual bond between people and ruler as long as that ruler was strong enough. They seem to identify with a single powerful figure as the country itself somehow and crazy as it sounds the national psyche seems to enjoy it. Maybe enjoy isn’t the right word, but I think you know what I mean.
Sam,
I hink there’s some truth in what you say, but don’t forget that the Russians ‘loved ‘ ;their last Tsar to death. literally.
A lot of complicated stuff goes on between the subjects and their ruler: hero-worship, vicarious power mind games, currying favor, etc ets.
Through it all, there is always the loove ot the motherland, and the leader is its symbol.
The Revolution made everything more complicated.
The aristocract s loved the Tsar because he represented the power and riches they had lost, and the peons loved the revolutionaries, leading to Stalin, because they got rid of the Tsar..
Always, there is Mother Russia, Mother Russia.
I’m not sure that the Russians are that different from other nationlities.
The Japanese loved their Empero; the Chinese loved Mao, and the North Koreans love little KIM
It’s not so easy to define what love mens in these cases, however.
I remember one quote from Russia about Stalin: “He was a stern father” was how his brutality was described.