Putin is depicted as a dictator in Western rhetoric. His disappearance was headline news in the Western media and was made more suspicious as a meeting with the Kazak president was canceled. Numerous rumors such as ill-health, childbirth or even a palace coup were launched, just to demonize Putin.
Russia and the West have been in direct confrontation. Putin is a tough leader of Russia. He is bound to be the subject of Western speculation whenever there are signs the West deems as abnormal.
The West claims that everything could be attributed to Russia's "autocracy" and lack of freedom of speech.
In the world today, a leader of a country such as Russia which shares hostility with the US needs to put his personal reputation on the line. Since Mikhail Gorbachev, the Kremlin has had three leaders - Boris Yeltsin, Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. Gorbachev led to the fall of the Soviet Union and thus enjoys a favorable reputation in the West. Yeltsin tried to bring Russia closer to the West, although he failed, and the West seems tolerant of him.
Putin took over the reins of a country that was not accepted by the West but was irritated by NATO expansion. Is a tough Putin the reason why Russia has gradually shifted away from the West, or is a hard-line Putin the result of a suppressed Russia? This is an interesting question.
But the West has no interest in thinking about this. Western opinion would rather label Putin as a "devil," which is easy for the West to do. Many Westerners believe that if Russia changes its leadership, Russia will embark on a different path. Such views are perhaps too simplistic.
As the US aims to break down Russia's strategic deterrence against the US and make it its follower, it is the West that determines Russia's national disposition. Putin's character follows this pattern.
To a large extent, Russian foreign policy is the outcome of the West's Russia policy. Russia's vast territory and abundant resources give it the determination to confront Washington.
As a third party, China has seen the weakness of the West's Russia policy. The foreign policies of the US and some European powers are made rashly and stubbornly. In some cases, the policies don't reflect serious national interests. Dealing with the West is not always a rational game.
China may benefit from the confrontation between the West and Russia in promoting its diplomatic strategies. The West is incapable of making a major shift in its Russia policy as it is still stuck in the mentality and ideology of the Cold War.
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