Putin: collapse of Soviet Union "a catastrophe"

[Bono]

From the Russia POV, it was. I'm sure when he means Soviet Union, he doesn't mean the regime, but the union.

[Bono]

From the Russia POV, it was. I'm sure when he means Soviet Union, he doesn't mean the regime, but the union.

But for all the other peoples in the USSR POV, it was a lot more positive

I'm not sure about the central asia countires, nor Ukraine, Moldova and Adzerbajan to be sure. But anyways, Putin is not president of any of those countries, he's president of Russia, and most people in Russia are still bitter from the breaking of the Soviet union.

[Bono]

My professor told me that Putin and his cronies hate Bush, despite all the public talk of a warm friendship. He said that their meeting in Slovakia earlier this year was quite unpleasant. Maybe the feeling is mutual.

I hate Putin too but what is the alternative to him? There is no effective opposition. His comment is terrible and shows how all he cares about is re-establishing Russia's former position as a Superpower.

I don't mean to put words in BRTD's mouth but Dazzleman we liberals did not like Soviet communism, we may have liked how it seemed theory but it obviously didn't work in practice. I am as happy as you are that the Berlin Wall came down.

So you think he should be a puppet who should submit to teh whims of the united statyes, like Tony Blair?
why shouldn't he pursue Rusia's interests? Isn't that what they elected him for?