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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... Mix saw thousands of dollars go down the drain when water didn't ... Fake grass offers real water savings ... Hosler Dam siren test due Monday ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Putin on the blitz Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 11:01 PM Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 11:01 PM What do you think? --> Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter... » Read more X What do you think? Have an opinion on this topic? Send a letter to the editor at www.dailytidings.com/sendletter or email [email protected] .   » Social News When viewing the situation in Russia from the Anglosphere, Westerners are baffled by the aggressive and counterproductive tactics being employed by Moscow's irascible czar, Vladimir Putin. But one does not have to look very far into Putin's past to understand his tactics. They are, in fact, uncomplicated and repetitive. The American view of Putin's adventure into Ukraine, and earlier, into Georgia and Chechnya, is that of a reckless and jingoistic dictator bent on isolating himself from other regional and world powers. But look a little closer, and his mechanizations bear a distinct hallmark; where continuity of power is concerned, uncertainty and terror are his favorite weapons. That mark is no mistake; It is less about isolation than it is about insulation. At the end of the day, the reason behind the Kremlin's geopolitical undertakings is fairly dull. It is not about security, or a strongly held worldview. In fact, it's all about money. Inside the Kremlin and the internal political and security apparatus of Russia, order is king, with Putin at the very top of the food chain. But outside the walls of the Kremlin, chaos is his friend. The reason for this is simple; the ongoing kleptocratic powerhouse that is the Putin Era in Russia can only function on the backs of a confused, terrified, and cowed populace. So long as Putin represents himself as the only man with strength enough to battle the external threats to Mother Russia, he will be able to retain power, and to continue to enrich himself and his cronies. By some estimates, the Putin family alone has squirreled away as much as $40 billion so far. Putin's rise came as the result of two core elements. Because of his own elite internal relationships, he was a man who was guaranteed not to look too closely at the robust private fortunes of his predecessor, the equally corrupt Boris Yeltsin. Putin also headed the FSS, the principal security agency of the Russian Federation, beginning in 1998. During that time, he established himself as a man who would take a strong-arm approach to any and all threats to Russia, whether invented or real. Opponents among the Russian opposition have suggested that a series of apartment bombings by Chechnyan separatists in 1999 were actually orchestrated by the FSS in order to establish their boss as a man who could lead in a crisis. If this was true, the scam worked. He was installed as president by the end of 1999, and has been the de facto leader of Russia ever since. Putin is the ultimate vulture in a gilded cage. Were he to abandon his linchpin position in the establishment, he would have few friends at home, and fewer abroad. In order to escape the weight of his own prepollence, he would need to make sure he was installing a friend to replace him, and friends are hard to come by. Nobody can say for sure what he is capable of when cornered, but there is a strong suspicion that the death of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian intelligence officer, as well as the assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, gunned down outside the Kremlin just last week, can be traced to the Russian presidency and its proxies. These killings are a microcosmic representation of what Putin wants as a whole. Thanks to an anemic response from the United States and Western Europe, he appears to be getting it — a dysfunctional power structure that will continue to benefit him, even if it means creating a false flag operation in Ukraine, the result of which is death and misery. That level of Machiavellian corruption should indicate to the world that it will be dealing with Putin, and his policy of plunder, for many years to come. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 11:01 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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