David Harsanyi Says Blame the Russian People, Not Just Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin may face international
disapproval from the West over his Crimean actions, but at home,
he’s enjoying his highest approval ratings in years. Before the
invasion, the respected Levada Center found that 65 percent of
respondents approved of Putin’s leadership. And a poll
of Russian attitudes in early March—right as Russian troops
were entering Crimea—found that nearly 68 percent of respondents
approved of Putin’s job performance. 

Putin’s popularity also seems to grow the more liberal
institutions he undermines. And, in a 2009 poll, nearly 60 percent
of Russians said they “deeply regret” the Soviet Union’s demise.
Clearly, notes David Harsanyi, the people who vote for the
presidents of Russia and the United States are unrelated, emerging
from distinct historical, moral, and ideological perspectives.
Americans need to stop pretending democracy is a panacea and start
accepting the fact that most people don’t view the world as we
do.

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