Putin says silence or “Soft” power of Putin

Monday, June 20, was a truly difficult day for the whole country. There was not one who would not let go of its biting comments about the shameful failure of the Russian national team for Euro 2016. I will not join the General mass of angry, but just let me remind you that in the metro you need to give women, children, the elderly and members of the football team. Particularly remarkable was that even the Russian President watched the match Russia – the Wales. Instead, Putin chose to visit an excursion to “Lenfilm”. It would seem that the simple manifestation of human freedom finding. However, such a “political” gesture has a “very political” background. Such act, the President has made clear the Russian team which in the coming years the former state they do not have to wait. Russian cinema, with talented Directors and actors can become national pride, can not be said about Russian players.

An indirect hint impolitic gesture commented on the press Secretary of the PresidentDmitry Peskov:

“The President of Russia Vladimir Putin have not watched a football match teams of Russia and Wales for Euro 2016, because in that time was at the Studio “thumbnail”, where the case with the recovery and reconstruction are much better than a game of Russian players”.

This behavior of Vladimir Putin — is not new. We looked in the recent past and remembered five high-profile “political actions” of Putin, in which one can find so a lot of “political”.

Nobody is forgotten, nothing is forgotten

In the seventy-first anniversary of the Victory in the great Patriotic war, the Russian President paid no attention to the two countries that were once part of the Soviet Union — Ukraine and Georgia. Without a cherished the official greetings from the former “sisters” Russia remains a Petro Poroshenko and Giorgi Margvelashvili. At the same time, in an official statement, Putin stressed that he shared the occasion with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, “as well as citizens of Georgia and Ukraine”.

This gesture killed two birds with one stone: on the one hand, showed the Russians that no political provocations, Russia will not tolerate and will not forget; on the other hand, made it clear to the citizens of former Soviet republics that warm Russia’s attitude to him depends on the degree of inadequacy of the actions of the leaders.

In politics “you snooze, you lose”

Another “non-political” gesture has become a truly gentlemanly act of Putin at the APEC summit that took place in 2014. Then the Russian President threw on the shoulders of the wife of the Chinese leader XI Jinping plaid, causing a shock among the media and Chinese diplomats. The fact that Chinese culture does not involve the touch of another person at the official level. The situation was, at first glance, not as bad: XI Jinping got into a conversation with Barack Obama, in the meantime, Putin has violated an important unwritten rule: “never touch the hands of diplomats”. The media was buzzing about the “accident” plaid Chinese leader’s wife more than the mattress of the Russian Shenderovich”. Then, Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with radio station “Moscow speaking” responded very slowly:

Tradition is not a tradition, a woman is not a woman but cool all the same. The fact that he gave plaid is a normal urge, normal act, which would probably absolutely everyone”.

This gesture of Putin was extremely dangerous from the diplomatic point of view, but this is enormously filled with political meaning. Bypassing all sorts of stereotypical cultural codes of the Russian President hinted to the Chinese leader that any “game on the field, both American and Russian” would entail the inevitable gap warm relations with Russia. Someone misses a point, and someone in this time it “catches”.

Obama on the shoulder

2014 APEC summit, I must say, was a benefit performance of meaningful gestures Putin. Then the whole world watched with interest the development of relations between Russia and the United States. Media, literally with a stopwatch watched when on the red carpet Convention center “Yantsihu” step out of the Russian and American presidents. And, of course, the lenses are unable to cover any one curious detail. Barack Obama has a strange habit of shaking the hand of any political leader, the American President definitely two to three times Pat him on the shoulder. The situation changed Vladimir Putin ahead of Obama and patting him on the shoulder first. The President while privately made clear to the public, “who really is running the show. The fact that friendly at first glance, the gesture, the Pat on the shoulder in a situation of competitive struggle means superiority of one person over another and condescending attitude. In other words, the Russian leader once again demonstrated its self-sufficiency and adherence to separate from the plans of the US rate.

Swiss precision versus American nonsense

The manifestation of firmness of character, the public saw, and in another, even more resonant gesture Putin. Let me remind you, on September 28 last year Mr Putin was late for session of the UN General Assembly and arrived there after the American President once again promised all a bright “Coca-Cola” future. The townsfolk did not notice the political overtones of the gesture, but hardly a car of the Russian President experienced the power tubes in new York. This gesture was a litmus test of Putin’s attitude to the American leader, his political course and stated in whole. To call it scornfully — too loud, but the Russian leader clearly came the sound of a light breeze skepticism about Obama and doubt the truthfulness of his words. In Putin’s act reflected a flashy Stanislavsky: “I do Not believe!

Resentment is for the weak

Silently expressed his attitude to what is happening, and Putin in 2014 at the G20 summit, leaving it long before the end of the program. Then the President referred to the “long flight”, but the cause of action lay in the other. The fact that the behavior of the leaders left much to be desired: the Russian leader was passed cold. Despite the fact that the host of the summit, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott from the point of view of international diplomacy was obliged to create an atmosphere of productive dialogue, he even before the meetings promised to meet Putin “a frontal attack” and even “topple the Russian President on the Ground in the fight.” So the behavior of the President of Russia was quite justified, although unusual from the point of view of political ethics. I must say that Putin has shown a cool head, correctly answered a total provocation, and chose to show the leaders of other countries that can never become the object of someone’s manipulation. Appreciated the act of the Russian President and members of the media. Journalist Dmitry Danilov wrote:

“This is not politics, this is just decency, not even diplomatic, but generally human. You’ve got to either not be invited or, if invited, you stay invited the leader on duty to smile, shake hands (no stupid replicas) and generally behave.

Numerous magazines, journalists and diplomats pay attention to the custom actions of the Russian President. May be in his office the past — people of his caliber are prone to multivalued moves. In any case, it remains to summarize — the Russian leader remains a mystery for most politicians, and therefore continues to hold influence on the world stage.

“Putin in Brisbane proved he keeps the strike.
Bloomberg

 

Ekaterina Lukina | POLITRUSSIA.COM