Putin’s Popularity Soars to 87% in the Face of Adversity

[pampango]

58. "We should have ... let him (Putin) have his buffer states." Why? Do China, India and Brazil

(the other BRIC countries) get 'buffer states' too? Or is this only something that Russia 'deserves'. (Perhaps because it has a big military and an assertive foreign policy - in which case China may be wanting 'buffer states' in the near future.)

And what do we tell the people in the 'buffer states'? That regardless of what policies they may want their national government to pursue, the decision has been made elsewhere that they are a 'buffer state' and some policy choices are not available to them.

Putin on the other hand, is clever like a fox and efficient like a turbo-charged jet engine.

Sounds like a Putin press release. You may agree, however, that every leader who is clever and efficient is not necessarily good for his own people, his neighbors or the rest of the world. I can think of many historical examples of leaders who fit that bill.