Putin has finally found an ally

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin must be delighted. He has finally found a formidable ally:

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seconds Russia’s position in the Ukraine crisis, reported Syria’s state news agency SANA on Thursday.
In a message addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Assad expressed his solidarity, on behalf of the Syrian people, with Putin’s efforts to “restore security and stability in the friendly country of Ukraine”.
Assad stressed that Putin’s reaction to the crisis in Ukraine is legitimate and adheres to the UN’s objectives that aim “to create a balanced and transparent world based on respecting the sovereignty of countries and the right of peoples to decide their destiny,” reported SANA.

Garry Kasparov: The West should sanction the Russian oligarchs

Many western pundits still think that Vladimir Putin is defending Russia's "interests" (some even call them "legitimate") in Ukraine and elsewhere. Garry Kasparov, writing in the WSJ, knows better:

As I have said for years, it is a waste of time to attempt to discern deep strategy in Mr. Putin's actions. There are no complex national interests in a dictator's calculations. There are only personal interests, the interests of those close to him who keep him in power, and how best to consolidate that power. Without real elections or a free media, the only way a dictator can communicate with his subjects is through propaganda, and the only way he can validate his power is with regular shows of force.

Inside Russia, that force comes with repression against dissidents and civil rights that only accelerated during the distraction of the Sochi Olympics. Abroad, force in the form of military action, trade sanctions or natural-gas extortion is applied wherever Mr. Putin thinks he can get away with it.--

 

Kasparov also knows what kind of sanctions would be effective:

 

Thanks to their unfettered access to Western markets, Mr. Putin and his gang have exploited Western engagement with Russia in a way that the Soviet Union's leaders never dreamed of. But this also means that they are vulnerable in a way the Soviets were not. If the West punishes Russia with sanctions and a trade war, that might be effective eventually, but it would also be cruel to the 140 million Russians who live under Mr. Putin's rule. And it would be unnecessary. Instead, sanction the 140 oligarchs who would dump Mr. Putin in the trash tomorrow if he cannot protect their assets abroad. Target their visas, their mansions and IPOs in London, their yachts and Swiss bank accounts. Use banks, not tanks. Thursday, the U.S. announced such sanctions, but they must be matched by the European Union to be truly effective. Otherwise, Wall Street's loss is London's gain, and Mr. Putin's divide-and-conquer tactics work again

Kissinger on Finland as an example for Ukraine

Henry Kissinger on Finland as an example for Ukraine:

Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country. Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.

The problem is that Finland does not "cooperate" with the West - it is a member of the European Union since 1995. Or does Dr. Kissinger not consider the EU part of the West?

German daily Daily Die Welt confirms Merkel's analysis: Putin "cocooned in his own world"

German quality daily Die Welt comments in an editorial on Vladimir Putin's behaviour at his latest press conference:

"Putin lives in his own world"

Many observers see Putin's appearance as a confirmation, that Angela Merkel was right, when she told US President Barack Obama, that Putin had lost contact with reality. Indeed, he seemed to be cocooned in his own world. And that was the really worrysome in the appearance of a man, who makes decisions about war and peace. He gave the impression of a politician, who has started to believe in his own lies.

Compare this with my take a couple of days ago ...


PS

Julia Ioffe's article in the New Republic is also worth reading:

Today's performance, though, put all that speculation to rest. Merkel was absolutely right: Putin has lost it. Unfortunately, it makes him that much harder to deal with.

Encouraging news from the UK: Developers are abandoning plans for new wind farms

Amid all the gloom created by Russia's aggresion in Ukraine, it's nice to have some really encouraging news from the UK:

Developers are abandoning plans for new wind farms in Britain because they are “no longer financially viable”.

The decision to scrap the wind farms is the first evidence that the spread of turbines across the country is being halted. It follows a radical overhaul by the Government of the consumer subsidy, worth more than £1 billion a year to wind farm owners.

Under the subsidy, wind farms are guaranteed to receive double the wholesale price for the electricity they produce. Under the new scheme, to be introduced later this year, companies will have to sell their electricity to the national grid under a competitive bidding system.

The new scheme will limit the total amount of subsidies available for green energy; previously the subsidy budget was effectively limitless.

The change has led to developers scrapping wind farm schemes amid claims that the new system will make future wind farms unprofitable.

Bye, bye, you bird killing, landscape destroying, ineffecient monsters! You will not be missed!

Putin's own pollster: 73% of Russians reject the Putin's aggression in Ukraine

Even the vast majority of Russians are against Putin's aggression in Ukraine:

At home, this intervention looks to be one of the most unpopular decisions Putin has ever made. The Kremlin’s own pollster released a survey on Monday that showed 73% of Russians reject it. In phrasing its question posed in early February to 1,600 respondents across the country, the state-funded sociologists at WCIOM were clearly trying to get as much support for the intervention as possible: “Should Russia react to the overthrow of the legally elected authorities in Ukraine?” they asked. Only 15% said yes — hardly a national consensus.
That seems astounding in light of all the brainwashing Russians have faced on the issue of Ukraine. For weeks, the Kremlin’s effective monopoly on television news has been sounding the alarm over Ukraine. Its revolution, they claimed, is the result of an American alliance with Nazis intended to weaken Russia. And still, nearly three-quarters of the population oppose a Russian “reaction” of any kind, let alone a Russian military occupation like they are now watching unfold in Crimea.

This is clearly the beginning of the end for Tsar Vladimir. Before long, he will end up in a prison cell somewhere in his vast empire ...

Sergey Lavrov, "the most formidable foreign minister in the world", says that the Russian aggression in Ukraine is a question of "ensuring human rights"

Flashback, October 11, 2013:

Sergey Lavrov has emerged as the probably the most formidable foreign minister in the world. A product of the old Soviet system, he has clarity of mind, and an understanding of the great currents of world affairs.
Neither William Hague nor John Kerry could have dealt with a press conference with the candour, gravity and thoughtfulness that Mr Lavrov did in Bali on Monday. He provided a kaleidoscopic survey of global problems.
His observations on the importance of observing international law, the danger of another war in Afghanistan, and the framework for negotiations with Iran, are extraordinary.

Peter Oborne
Chief political commentator, Daily Telegraph


February 3, 2014:

“This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in Geneva, where he was attending U.N. meetings.

Sergey Lavrov,
Russian Foreign Minister, "probably the most formidable foreign minister in the world"
on the brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine


And the man (Oborne) still appears to be employed by the Daily Telegraph!

But, thank God, he is now concentrating on something else:

Peter Oborne @OborneTweets

15min ago

Brilliant article in latest Nightwatchman on the biggest ever defeat in first class cricket, by my friends Richard Heller and Khan Shehram.