Putin or the Passion of Evil

Putin’s aggression in opposition to Ukraine was perceived as a thunderclap by the West, as a result of it’s at all times troublesome to imagine the worst. Nonetheless, there was no lack of warning indicators, and never solely in the previous couple of weeks. Putin’s regime has revealed worrying tendencies from his very first months.

In 1933, it solely took a number of weeks for Sebastian Haffner, a perceptive younger German, to know that Hitler was going to steer his nation to disaster. He felt “nearly bodily the scent of blood and dust floating round this man” ^{. One might have had the identical impression in Russia on the finish of 1999-beginning of 2000. The way in which that Putin had risen to energy, the very beginnings of his reign ought to have made it clear that the brand new chief of Russia was a harmful man. As quickly as he was appointed head of presidency by Yeltsin, he undertook to take away the inhibition of Russian residents to make use of drive. This was achieved because of the September 1999 terrorist assaults, which have been blamed with out proof on the Chechens (whereas the FSB was caught putting explosives by the inhabitants of a constructing) and allowed Putin to launch a devastating battle in opposition to Chechnya. This battle served as his election marketing campaign in 2000. It launched hate speech on Russian tv and triggered a wave of chauvinism on which Putin has surfed to today.}

At the moment, a retrospective take a look at Putin’s actions for the reason that finish of 1999 is bloodcurdling. In a number of months the previous KGB agent had liquidated the liberty of the press current beneath Yeltsin, subdued the oligarchs, made the Duma subservient; and in a number of years he had eradicated the opposition events, changing them with Kremlin-manipulated puppets. For this he used corruption, blackmail and intimidation, even assassination. Tv grew to become the primary instrument of his maintain on the nation. For years it radiated hatred in opposition to Chechens, Balts, Georgians, and, lastly, Ukrainians, to not point out Europeans and People.

As quickly as Russia was introduced into line, Putin turned to overseas coverage. His targets have been these of the USSR: to show Europe in opposition to the US, to weaken NATO, to tear the US aside in partisan quarrels, to divide the EU. However Putin proved himself extra creative in reaching them than the Soviet bureaucrats had been. He proceeded each from above, by co-opting or recruiting elites, and from beneath, by molding the lots via social networks from the second his propagandists realized to make use of this dream device.

The post-war order was based mostly on cooperation and reconciliation between peoples. Russian propaganda undertook to destroy the idea of this order, European solidarity, the transatlantic hyperlink, the belief in consultant establishments and democracy. Moscow selected to assist extremist events, fire up essentially the most primitive nationalism, disseminate conspiracy theories, and gasoline all types of hatreds, interethnic, non secular, and “social class”; Kremlin propaganda strove to discredit the elites and instill a black misanthropy, displaying in all places lies, corruption, and common malice. The intention of this propaganda bombardment was to make democratic international locations ungovernable, to instill a local weather of civil battle, to make them weary of freedom, and thus render them Kremlin-compatible. On the identical time, with a purpose to take revenge on the West, Putin supported all dictators who had been rejected by their folks, offered them with the means to remain in energy and safe impunity for themselves by equipping them with air protection methods and bodyguards. To undermine the worldwide order, Moscow inflated the ambitions of those dictators in Syria, Turkey and Africa.

Westerners have lengthy been baffled by this coverage. Inspired by Kremlin propaganda, they’ve believed that Russia was defending its “nationwide pursuits”. It doesn’t happen to anybody, particularly in naturally benevolent democracies, {that a} chief would dedicate all his efforts to a coverage of pure nuisance, to the detriment even of his nation. Due to this elementary misreading, Putin has encountered few obstacles for years. And since it’s at all times simpler to sow discord than to push nations to beat their animosities and dictators to respect human rights, Putin appeared for a very long time to win in opposition to weak and irresolute interlocutors. Thus he succumbed to what Stalin referred to as “the vertigo of success”. Having ready his nation for battle since 2007, he launched himself right into a crescendo of provocations, believing he might lastly ship the coup de grace to this hated West by taking intention at unlucky Ukraine. However right now the West has realized that it was fallacious to shut the eyes to the immorality of the “Putin system”. A regime constructed on hatred and resentment can solely enter into battle with the nations round it. It’s higher to react promptly than to let issues degenerate. Solely ethics bestows lucidity and results in braveness. Allow us to hope that this hard-won lesson shall be realized, and that it isn’t too late.

First revealed in Libération Feb. 25, 2022