Dear CCI Friends,
I’ve had numerous emails since Putin’s moves to change Russia’s constitution have become public. Like the rest of you, I have no insider track; however, some thoughts follow.
Putin’s moves are usually misunderstood by Americans since U.S. media have intentionally misinterpreted his words and actions for the past 20 years. They’ve labeled him everything from a thug to a murderer in our daily news. As a result Americans have no real understanding of Putin the man … his style or his leadership.
I met with Putin in the early 90s over a program I hoped to run in St. Petersburg. He was quiet, asked pertinent questions and tried everyway possible to approve my proposal, but in the end said, “I’m very sorry but under today’s laws, this proposal isn’t legal.” Other Russian bureaucrats would have requested a bribe and been ready to sign off on it.