Thursday, August 13, 2020

Vladimir Putin's Leadership in Times of Crisis


Vladimir Putin is one of the most prominent leaders in the world and has been in power for the last 18 years. As the leader of the government of Russia since 2000, he has presided over several crises as well as successes that have affected his country. A consequence has been that he has been seen as an individual that works well under crisis and seems to always have a solution that makes it possible for him to achieve his objectives. This paper will make an analysis of the Georgian, Ukrainian, and Syrian crises, as well as the Russian economic crisis, in order to show the manner through which Putin has handled all of them to attain his objectives.

The Georgian crisis came about in 2008 as a result of the actions of Mikhail Saakashvili’s, the Georgian president at the time, decision to forcefully reintegrate the province of South Ossetia into Georgia. This incident took place despite the fact that there were Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in South Ossetia when the Georgian attack took place (Friedman, 2008). The action taken by President Saakashvili seems to have been aimed at ensuring that the territorial integrity of Georgia was secured so that it could more easily become a part of NATO. Becoming a part of NATO would have essentially meant that this military alliance got closer to Russian borders; a situation that Russia has been against almost since immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union. As a response, Putin, who was then prime minister of Russia, ordered the employment of Russian forces into Georgia, with the aim of preventing the reintegration of South Ossetia into Georgia. The operation was a success because not only did Russia push Georgian forces out of South Ossetia, but they did it decisively. Not only was Georgia prevented from joining NATO, but Russia provided its support for South Ossetia’s declaration of independence from Georgia (Tuathail, 2008).

Another incident that proved Putin’s leadership in times of crisis was the Ukrainian crisis and the following civil war that came about following the overthrow of the democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych. This situation developed following Yanukovych’s decision to reject an EU Association Agreement in favor of joining the Russian-led Customs Union. A consequence was that Ukraine’s legitimate government was overthrown and while this situation came as a surprise, Putin responded swiftly, first by protecting Russian military interests in the Crimean Peninsula by annexing this territory, and later through arming rebels in Eastern Ukraine, many of whom are ethnically Russian (Treisman, 2016). These moves, while condemned as being acts of aggression by Russia as well as being an attempt to redraw the map of Europe, were actually quite brilliant because they ensured that there was the advancement of Russian interests especially in preventing Ukraine from immediately joining NATO (Kunz, 2014). Therefore, while Russia was essentially isolated following this incident and sanctions placed on it, Putin was able to make sure that the security of his country from an aggressive alliance was achieved.

While the considerable isolation that Russia faced as a result of its actions in Ukraine was significant, Putin countered it with his decision to support Russia’s ally, President Bashar Al Assad of Syria in the Syrian Civil War. The direct Russian intervention essentially ended the crisis that had arisen because of its isolation and it ensured that western countries that had sought to isolate Putin and Russia were suddenly forced to engage with him (Ibryamova and Kara, 2017). Therefore, while the sanctions remained in place, the Russian international isolation effectively ended and suddenly, it had become one of the big players in the Middle East. This situation can be considered to be highly significant because it shows that Putin is essentially able to undertake problems, and handle crises well under a lot of pressure. The Syrian intervention was a bold stroke that not only ended the isolation imposed by the west, but also ensured that Russia’s longtime ally was plucked away from imminent defeat (Kaplan, 2016). Furthermore, this act also made it possible for Russia to undertake to fight terrorist groups in Syria to such an extent that their capabilities were significantly eroded. Therefore, not only did Putin manage to increase Russia’s international stature, but he also showed that his country was determined to directly confront terrorism.

One of the most significant results of the Ukraine crisis is that tough sanctions were imposed on Russia by the West. These sanctions are responsible for the current Russian economic crisis because they came at a time when the country was just recovering from the 2008 Financial Crisis that affected many countries across the globe. Despite the considerable pressure that came about as a result, President Putin has been able to handle the situation in an exemplary manner because rather than undertaking a program aimed at shoring up the local currency by using the country’s foreign currency reserves, he has presided over letting the currency float (Dreger et al., 2016). A consequence has been that Russia has maintained its foreign currency reserves at more or less the same level it was pre-crisis. This is at the same as making sure that there is a level of stability brought about by a ban on European exports that has sparked domestic production of those goods and services that were imported prior to the sanctions (Tuzova and Qayum, 2016). The iron-fisted manner through which Putin has presided over the economy since the imposition of western sanctions can be considered the primary reason why the Russian economy, despite being badly hit, has maintained a level of stability and has not experienced an absolute collapse.

In conclusion, President Putin has been able to display considerable leadership in times of crisis, and this has ensured that he has maintained a level of popularity that his colleagues across the world can only envy. He has not only come up with the means to ensure that his country avoids political isolation, but he has also helped his allies, such as President Assad in Syria, and the leaders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia  turn the tables over their enemies; achieving a level of stability in their countries.


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