The Survivalist and The Outsider

The next two personality types recognized in Vladimir Putin are 'The Survivalist' and 'The Outsider'. The idea of Putin as a 'Survivalist' comes from his background as the child of survivors of World War II, one of the darkest and bleakest eras in Russian history. During the Nazi blockade of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944, Putin's family remained in the city and suffered greatly as bombings, disease, and starvation claimed over a million casualties, including Vladimir's older brother. It is through hardships like this that the Russian ideal of surviving and triumphing over all adversaries has become so deeply ingrained in the culture and ideology of the Russian people. Putin certainly embodies this ideal as he has been through tremendous hardship and come out on the other side. He has used this trait to combat recent hardships in Russia, like the St. Petersburg food crisis in the winter of 1991-1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although his plan to use private companies as a way to supply the city with provisions ultimately failed, the promotion of the use of allotments for growing one's own food helped curb the disaster and the city was able to survive until things were fixed.

The Siege of Leningrad during World War II

Another trait used by Putin is his role as 'The Outsider'. The authors note that Putin's background in St. Petersburg (called Leningrad in Soviet times) has given him a sort of identity as an outsider from the political center of Moscow as well as from the families of intelligentsia or nomenklatura (those who occupy state administrative positions) since his family comes from humble origins. It took Putin many years of hard work to reach the upper levels of the KGB and it was said in the Russian media that he would have a hard time getting to power because he hadn't established the necessary connections and allied required to be in the "inner circle". This identity makes him unique in terms of politics because even in the United States, it is very rare for someone to get involved in higher politics that has no background or family history in the field. By understanding these traits and how they make him unique as well as a figure that Russians can relate to, it becomes clearer to see Putin's reasoning and intention behind some of his decisions.

Putin making important political connections

The Statist and the History Man

The next chapter of the book discusses the first aspect of Putin's personality-his view of himself as a "man of the state" or a "statist". This means that he sees himself as someone who is dedicated to the restoration of the Russian state and claims that the mission of his presidency is to reunite the Russian people through the distinguished values that make them differ from others, ideas that were "distinctly Russian", not just universal values like personal freedoms and rights. He called these values that make up the core of Russian belief the "Russian Idea" and these include patriotism, collectivism, solidarity, and lastly "derzhavnost" which is the belief that Russia's destiny is to always be a powerful entity that "exerts its influence abroad".

By latching onto these deals, Putin establishes himself as someone who pledges his loyalty not to a political party, but rather to the state itself and to restoring the state to its former glory and strength above all. This self presentation is rather common among those with a background in the KGB like Putin has. The book goes on to discuss the role of statists in Russia and how they have historically been known as the intelligent upper class that saw themselves as representing citizens in opposition to the tsarist economic and political system. In the Soviet era, the term was used to refer to jobs like doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, researchers, writers, and artists that were held in high esteem in the Marxian social classification.

The authors also address the second role that Putin plays in his leadership-that of "The History Man", meaning he understands the important role that history can play in establishing legitimacy and in accomplishing goals. It is obvious to see this side of him in his policies as he often searches for ways to establish connections to Russia's past by participating in cultural renovation projects, his embracing of Russian Orthodoxy, and attempting to bring Russia back to a sovereign and historically rooted political system that is not highly democratic.

Putin's Inauguration Ceremony with Involvement from the Russian Orthodox Church

By understanding two of these key personality traits, it becomes easier to recognize the goals and intentions of Vladimir Putin and to put into perspective some of the decisions he makes and his public policy. Thanks for reading!

The Rise to Power

The next chapter begins by describing one very violent occurrence in the presidency of Boris Yeltsin (the Russian president preceding Putin). In October 1993, a political standoff took place between the Russian legislative and executive branches, finally resulting in a bloody skirmish with interior ministry forces when supporters of Parliament marched on the Moscow television tower. Official statements put the number of casualties at 145 deaths and 800 injuries. Having done this, Yeltsin proceeded to draft a new Russian constitution giving the president extensive powers over foreign and domestic policy and effectively strengthening the overall position of the leader.

On a lighter note, here's Boris Yeltsin dancing

The authors continue to discuss in detail the presidency of Boris Yeltsin and how precedents were set for Vladimir Putin to come into power just a few short years later. From the military assault on Chechnya to the resulting bilateral treaties, Yeltsin's presidency is characterized by turbulence and instability. In the years 1991-1996, Russia endured many hardships in the fields of domestic and foreign policy and the country was not united politically. This is when Putin arrived in Moscow to join in the Russian presidential administration. Chaos and war in Chechnya raged on and thousands had taken to the streets protesting unpaid wages and soaring prices. The West had forced Russia out from its place in the Balkan States, humiliating the nation and sending relations with the United States on a downward spiral. This is the perfect opportunity for Vladimir Putin to step into the public sphere and act as the nation's savior.

Putin: A Psychological Portrait

What do your elven eyes see, Vlad? 

"On March 18, 2014, still bathed in the afterglow of the Winter Olympics that he had hosted in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Russian president Vladimir Putin stepped up to a podium in the Kremlin to address the nation".

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And so begins the narrative that I will be analyzing this semester. Mr. Putin: Operation in the Kremlin by Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy seeks to create not a biography, but a psychological portrait of the leader of the Russian Federation in order to discover the reasons for his beliefs and often aggressive actions. I chose this work because international relations and diplomacy are two things that fascinate me and that I really want to know more about. I think that Russia's foreign policy and actions throughout history and in the present are often hard for us to understand, especially with an enigmatic leader like Vladimir Putin, but that it's important for us to study as a country in order to augment our own foreign policy and ways in which we interact in the international community. In the first chapter, the authors focus on providing background for Russia's takeover of the Crimean region of Ukraine last year as well as a bit of basic information on Vladimir Putin to set the stage for a deeper look into his psyche.

The trouble with Crimea stems back to the Bolsheviks, who placed conquered lands in the Soviet republic of Ukraine. In 1954, Nikita Krushchev decided to transfer Crimea to Ukraine, where it was left as a Russian-speaking entity after the fall of the Soviet state in 1991. Putin's post-Olympic speech  called Crimea a "lost province" that needed to be taken back and came following several months of political upheaval in Ukraine. Over 100 people died following protests in Ukraine against the decision made by Ukraine's president Viktor Yanukovych not to sign the association agreement with the European Union. Ukraine was then taken over by an interim government after Yanukovych fled the country. A referendum on independence and the prospect of joining Russia was held, resulting in 97% of voters expressing a desire to unite with Russia. Putin then used this referendum to justify his annexation of Crimea, turning Russia into a revisionist power.

Following the context of the issue at hand, the authors delve into their study of Putin's reasoning and behavioral patterns. According to Zachary Shore, previous behavioral patterns can rarely be used to determine how someone will act in the future. Instead, it is important to look at pattern breaks because they make one focus on the invariant aspects of the person's self. One idea that has gained some following since the Crimea affair is that Putin has a lowered sense of danger and enjoys taking risks. Part of this could be a carefully constructed persona in order to perpetrate Richard Nixon's "Madman Theory"- the idea that if other nations believe you, as a leader, are unstable and willing to do anything to get your way, they will be more likely to cooperate with you.

The authors first introduce a set of three different identities held by Mr. Putin to explain his goals-the Statist, the History Man, and the Survivalist. The next three identities-the Outsider, the Free Marketer, and the Case Officer mostly describe how he goes about achieving the ends he desires. These identities will be further explored in later chapters.

The authors also note that while some commentators view Putin's coming into power as a catalyst that upset a positive trajectory of Post-Soviet Russia, Putin himself sees the state of Russia prior to his presidency as a downward spiral caused by many mistakes by Russian politicians before him. He seems to see himself as a savior of sorts for the Russian people, a not-so-uncommon belief among authoritarian leaders. The details of his view of himself and his role as the Russian president will be analyzed further in the book to reveal his goals, ideas, and ultimately, his reasons for why he has made the decisions he has made so far. Thanks for reading!