The Putin Regime Cracks

[LiberalArkie]

President Vladimir Putin’s clever maneuver to dispense with the Russian constitution’s provisions on presidential terms limits will, in theory, allow him to stay in office until 2036. Yet by rewriting the constitution and reshuffling the government, Putin did far more than throw most of the Russian elite off-balance. Putin’s efforts signal that he is building a new political regime that will be more conservative, more ideological, and more anti-Western in its outlook.

Everything is not going to plan, however. The planned reconfiguration of Russia’s political system has been complicated by the collapse of global oil prices and the unprecedented disruption caused by the coronavirus. The April 22 quasi-referendum to “approve” the constitutional amendments is now on hold while the Kremlin tries to deal with both the virus and a new economic crisis. These twin challenges represent the biggest shock the Putin regime has ever faced and are likely to feed popular dissatisfaction.

Tackling this crisis successfully requires a well-planned collective effort by the Russian leadership. Unfortunately, the pandemic is casting a harsh spotlight on a long-running reality: Putin has become increasingly disengaged from routine matters of government and prefers to delegate most issues to others. During the initial phase of the crisis Putin has repeatedly called on his new government and regional governors to bear even heavier responsibilities.

But the president’s team is far from unified. This article aims to explain how the Putin regime operates and its growing internal conflicts by classifying five different elite groups. For brevity’s sake, it does not cover specific aspects of the Russia government’s response to the pandemic (this will be the subject of future research). Nor does it examine the public dimensions of Russian politics (for example, parliamentary developments and media activity). The focus is on the inner workings of Russia’s main decisionmakers.

More

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/05/07/the-putin-regime-cracks-a70211

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R!

[Wounded Bear]

2. K & R...for visibility...nt

[Hugin]

3. Do I sense an echo or rhyme here?

"Putin has become increasingly disengaged from routine matters of government and prefers to delegate most issues to others. During the initial phase of the crisis Putin has repeatedly called on his new government and regional governors to bear even heavier responsibilities."

[benfranklin1776]

10. My exact thoughts!

Orange Crime Don is merely aping his handler’s Czarist methodology, as the felon in chief is too bereft of reason and morality to exercise any independent thought or judgement.

[pandr32]

16. +1

I love how you described DT "aping" his beloved handler.

[benfranklin1776]

37. Thanks! Well if the simian suit fits...

Although simians have far greater learning skills and concern for their fellow living creatures than this cretin. 😑

[kimbutgar]

4. I hope that government collapses and Putin is destroyed.

[lagomorph777]

5. But...the Trump Regime is part of the Putin Regime...that would collapse our government.

Ooooohhhh...I seeeee......

[kimbutgar]

6. You don't see that MF45 and McConnell are already collapsing our government?

[lagomorph777]

8. I see Turd and Turtle as consolidating power; the US economy is less fragile than Russia's.

[Ford_Prefect]

24. Along with Boris and all the little Brexiteers in the playhouse.

[lagomorph777]

28. Yup! Boorish Johnson is a Putin employee too.

[brush]

7. Looks like Putin will have to worry about saving himself...

instead of trump.

[not_the_one]

23. Maybe he will be otherwise occupied, come November 3rd.

He has been so busy fucking with other countries, maybe his own will go down the toilet.

If so, he will take OUR turd down with him.

We can dream.....

[Skraxx]

27. He's Made A Lot Of Enemies, Competent Enemies

Don't think the EU is standing idly by while he meddles, and there may be compartmentalized portions of our own IC still on the ball...

[Ford_Prefect]

25. Maybe he'll escape to Sochi and move the seat of government to a seaside resort.

[Takket]

9. I hope the Russian people revolt.

Putin deserves the kind of death Hussein and Qaddafi got.

[volstork]

11. Can't argue

with that sentiment.

[OMGWTF]

12. So does Trump. Hanging is too good for that malignant misanthrope.

[lunatica]

22. The people who would normally do the mob hanging

are his base, so there’s that. The rabble belong to him, heart and soul.

The rest of us are just too civilized. I’m serious.

[SergeStorms]

31. "The rest of us are just too civilized."

I'm not. Just sayin'.

[lunatica]

32. I didn't say the rest of us wouldn't think of it with relish

Being civilized doesn’t translate as being wimps.

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. Long prison sentence for the Rump and all the family assets seized.

Poverty for them all.

[MarcA]

21. There were demonstrations against putin's proposed Social Security cuts

about a year or so ago. Perhaps we could make common cause with them against
the oligarchic elites here and there.

[BComplex]

33. That's actually a very good idea. Very good idea, for sure.

How could we get our people in touch with their people?

[roamer65]

36. THIS THIS THIS THIS.

Right on, Takket.

[Peacetrain]

13. You just made my day!!!

happy dance to ensue....

[bucolic_frolic]

14. From the title I thought this was an OP about beer and peanuts

Oh well.

[Historic NY]

15. Somebody close will end up pushing him out a window.

[lagomorph777]

29. Or just a whiff of Novichok.

And while we're speculating, anybody hoping Trump gets COVFEFE-19 from his valet? Hell, I didn't even know valets were a thing in this century.

[dreamland]

17. Not soon enough

But we'll take it.

[Bayard]

18. "Dispense with the Russian constitution's provisions on presidential terms limits"

I'm sure trump is paying close attention to this.

[MrModerate]

19. Putin is much smarter than, say, Donald Trump, but...

The hand he's drawn has few aces. Economically, Russia is like a giant banana republic, with one moneymaker — fossil fuels — that is suddenly a drug upon the market.

Putin's kleptocratic leadership of self-interested oligarchs and brutal toadies can't develop or execute the policies and rapid response that Covid-19 calls for, and the Russian people are dying in droves. This can't be sustained.

We worry about North Korean nukes falling into the wrong hands if that country goes under. We should be worrying about Russia.

[lagomorph777]

30. A banana republic with a banana crop failure.

And imagine the horror if Putin's nukes get into the hands of a real nutcase like Trump!

[MrModerate]

35. Or lesser nutcases like Al Qaeda, ISIS, or Hamas. n/t

[Cosmocat]

20. THIS is what the GOP wants for America

nm

[DFW]

34. About ten years ago, I was discussing with a Russian friend what made the Russian markets tick

He smiled and said, "Одно слово." Ahdnaw slawva. One word.

"Нефт" Nyeft. Oil.

He said if the price of oil is high, they ride high. If the price of oil crashes, so does their economy. It was that simple.