Putin Isn't Out to Impress Western Media

Putin Isn't Out to Impress Western Media

My sense is that, barring a major terrorist incident at Sochi, which would call into question his control and effectiveness, Putin will deem the Games to be a reasonable success and will have achieved many of his objectives, particularly if the Russian team puts in a better performance than at the 2010 Vancouver Games. There is also the factor that Sochi's earlier bids, during the Yeltsin administration, to host the Winter Games failed; Putin succeeded in 2007, so simply having won the Games was already a major victory in Putin's efforts to show that Russian influence in the world was on the upswing. Nor does he seem to be concerned about possible protests by visiting athletes. There seem to be indications that Putin has welcomed Western criticisms of his policies, particularly those directed against gays and lesbians, as a way to make inroads both among Western social conservatives as well as strengthening his bid to be seen as the de facto leader of the international reaction to U.S. efforts to promote Western-style liberalism and the leading defender of the rights of countries around the world to safeguard their "traditional values."

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