#6150
[Second Issue of the Day]
#7
Financial Times (UK)
22 March 2002
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Putin as a leader stands well beside his contemporaries
From Prof Georgy Skorov.
Sir, Thank you for an interesting article about Russia ("Putin plays a weak hand well", March 18).
Generally, success or failure of a policy depends primarily on its purpose, its meeting a real need, compatibility with the interests of others and the way it is implemented. It is difficult to see "a repeated humiliation (that Vladimir Putin) suffered at the hands of western powers" in the US presence in former Soviet Central Asia or Georgia. That perfectly suits Russian interests, and Mr Putin can only enjoy the Americans pulling the chestnuts out of the fire for themselves and for him.
Nor do I see any humiliation in the US's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty as long as Russia has a perfect response to it. As to European security and Nato, the west would do better to decide first what it wants before talking publicly about it.
I am not a supporter of Mr Putin. Nor am I part of the Russian majority who feel for him an irrational enchantment. I am not an admirer of the KGB; it never looked to me like a school of democracy. However, what matters in politics is not personal preferences or the origin of a leader and the personality of his sponsor. The only criterion is the policy itself and its outcome. From that point of view I must confess that I was wrong. Mr Putin, quite unexpectedly, turned out to be a man who acted in Russia's national interest both at home and abroad.
One does not need to agree with all his policies or his methods to acknowledge that he has not committed any significant mistakes so far. As to minor ones, he makes them occasionally but tries to correct them as soon as he can. To any objective observer this is a sign of wisdom. On that score Mr Putin stands well in comparison with any contemporary leader on both sides of the Atlantic.
Mr Putin does not need to play off the US and Europe against each other. It would be a serious mistake to ally with only one of them. He needs both to achieve what he wants. All he must do is keep on doing what he does; that is, putting Russia's interest first and paying due respect to the interests of Europe and the US.
Georgy Skorov, 75004 Paris, France
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