When did autocractic oligarchy become so popular with US conservatives?
Tom
I don't know about conservatives, but I grew up fearing Russia during the Cold War. It was for that reason I wanted to learn more about them. I learned the language, read their books, studied their history, visited the country. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an "expert," but I came to realize that their position and perspective on the world has a background to it. There are reasons they do what they do. I find that a lot of Westerners truly misread the Russians because they really don't understand them. Or they're looking at them through Western eyes.
I can't explain everything they do, and as far as whatever autocratic government they have at present, my view is that the Russians themselves will sort that out in their own time eventually. They've done it before. Putin may be popular at present, and that may be due to the Russians possibly feeling a bit cornered with all the hostility they've been getting lately.
I don't know about these supposed "honey traps." I wouldn't automatically assume that just because a woman is Russian that she's some kind of spy. At least the ones I've known were pretty honest, intelligent, enlightened, educated.
I think we should keep our eyes open with Russia and their government. Putin is a mobster, and I think even the Russians realize this, but he's all they have at the moment. They've endured numerous invasions, Tsars, they endured Stalin, they endured years of Nazi attacks and mass murder. They will endure Putin.
But I think we should be cautious and restrained from getting too caught up in the anti-Russian fervor that seems to be generating. That doesn't seem like it can come to any good.