Fareed Zakaria on Putin's Ruthless Rise and Imperial Ambitions

Post-Soviet Russian Relations with the West

• 🇺🇸 Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, the United States attempted to integrate Russia into global power structures, expanding the G7 to the G8.
• 💰 Between 1989 and 1998, Russia received approximately $66 billion in international lending assistance from the US.
• 🤝 To address security concerns in Eastern Europe, the US established the Partnership for Peace, a program designed for joint military exercises and confidence-building between NATO, Russia, and other Eastern Bloc countries.
• ⚠️ The US did not impose sanctions on Russia during its brutal war in Chechnya.

Putin's Ascent and Consolidation of Power

• 💥 Vladimir Putin came to power in late 1999, gaining national support through a terrorist attack in Moscow blamed on Chechen separatists, which enabled the Second Chechen War.
• 🔪 Many experts believe Putin has been responsible for the assassinations of prominent opponents, including Anna Politkovskaya, Boris Nemtsov, and Alexei Navalny.

Putin's Imperial Ambitions and Actions

• 🌍 Putin views the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical tragedy, aiming to reunite Russian speakers and re-establish the Czar's empire.
• 🗺️ This ambition drives his desire to dominate not only Ukraine but also Belarus and Central Asian states, evidenced by wars in Georgia and threats to Moldova.
• 🗣️ Putin has frequently argued that Ukraine is a "fake country" created by the Bolsheviks, despite over 90% of Ukrainians voting for independence in 1991.

Escalation in Ukraine and Georgia

• 🇪🇺 In 2014, Putin invaded Ukraine after the country moved to strengthen economic ties with the European Union, disregarding a 1994 guarantee of Ukrainian sovereignty.
• 🚀 By 2008, Putin invaded Georgia when the country showed aspirations to join NATO, falsely claiming Georgian instigation.
• ⚔️ Russia's interference in Ukraine included poisoning a presidential frontrunner and eventually installing a pro-Russian president.
• 💥 The full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was an attempt to conquer the country and seize its capital, Kyiv.

Historical Context and Current Stance

• 🏛️ Under Putin, Russia has been attempting to rebuild the Soviet empire, opposing the desires of people in Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus.
• 🚩 Fareed Zakaria concludes that Putin is on the wrong side of history, freedom, and human aspirations.