Name? Vladimir Putin
Westphalian identity? 67
Age? Russian
Why is he in the news? Russia is about to reach 100,000 Corona cases and the public opinion on Putin’s crisis management is turning against him.
Why do we care? Maybe our friend Vladimir should not have used the first few weeks of Europe battling material shortages and lack of solidarity for propaganda. Do not get us wrong, of course it was good for Russia to support Italy with material and doctors during the first few weeks of Covid-19. But the efforts are currently backfiring.
Why should you care? This pandemic reveals populists and evil-doers all over the world. Whether it is Trump, Bolsonaro, Duerte, Johnson or Putin, these times showcase the difference between unqualified loudmouths and experienced crisis managers, they differ between one-hit wonders and long term policy-making, they differ between empty propaganda campaigns and true help.
Who else cares? MBS does. The two “friends” have been fighting with each other for the past months. Not on the world stage per se, but in the form of “who can survive this low oil price the longest?”. Making them dangerously low for Putin’s budget at home and abroad. At home, he needs to finance work-free time for millions of Russians and abroad he needs to finance his involvement in Syria and Ukraine.
Any further comments? If Putin is running out of money and support at home, how will he finance his adventures abroad? How will this influence the situation in Syria? Without Putin backing Assad, can Erdogan sneak up on the Syrian border? By now, Putin is of such importance for the Middle East’s stability that he is too important to fail. When he is perceived weak at home, this will also influence his global standing.
