http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050428/OPINION01/504280376/1055/OPINIONVladimir Putin gave historical reflection a try the other day and came up with the view that the collapse of the Soviet system was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the 20th Century.
He should stick to current events. The Russian president, who was once a KGB operative, and some of his countrymen may be nostalgic for the prestige of being a superpower and for the economic security of a managed economy. Most Soviet subjects, however, rejoiced in the empire's collapse.
Perhaps Mr. Putin has forgotten that the Soviet Union imploded -- a failed state unable to generate wealth, lift its people or assert legitimacy based on anything beyond totalitarian power. Moreover, he seems to have overlooked the genuine catastrophes of the past century, such as two cataclysmic continental wars that killed tens of millions of Russians and other Soviet citizens.
Yet, as foolish, or pandering, as Mr. Putin's remark seems, it might be wise to ask why he felt the need to utter it.
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