Vladimir “Putin is a gift to
caricaturists,”
said Barry Blitt, a New Yorker artist, when he
designed a Sochi Olympic-themed cover earlier this year, featuring
the Russian leader in frilly ice skating attire. The caricature
artists of Russia take a very different approach. On Friday a
gallery titled “No Filters” with the work of about 100
cartoonists opened
in Moscow, and just about all their images show Putin favorably: as
a strongman, a political chess master, and a fighter against
fascists and terrorists. In one conspicuously large work, Putin is
spanking President Barack Obama, who has the body of schoolboy.
“Targeted sanctions,” the caption on that caricature reads – a
jab at America’s economic strategy against Russia’s war of
aggression in Ukraine. Another image shows Putin tugging on Obama’s
ear,
scolding him not to “touch” Ukraine again. A third shows Obama
and Ukraine’s president, both dressed as peasant girls working the
fields, cowering from Putin who sits atop a tank and asks,
“Hey girls, have you seen any fascists here?”
There is some truth to the first image, at least.
Putin has run circles around the U.S. when it comes to the war in
Ukraine. The Obama administration has called for an end to Russian
aggression since Putin invaded Crimea. The U.S. has tried to put
pressure on Russia by initiating first targeted sanctions and then
broad ones. That began in March, and yet Russia’s military
incursion persists to this day, and has grown worse. Obama gave his
own policies credit as being “the
only reason” a ceasefire was agreed upon in September – some of
the bloodiest fighting started shortly thereafter. And, in spite of
strong rhetoric one week, like the U.S. “will not accept Russia’s
occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea or any part of
Ukraine,” Obama allegedly privately
admitted around the same time that Crimea was “gone” for
good.
Obama’s shortcomings aside, Putin is not the savvy strongman his
propagandists present him as. Russia’s currency continues to
hit record lows, and the nation’s economy is at recession
levels. And the annexation of Crimea leaves Russia with a
10,000-square mile welfare money pit.
That Putin is fighting against fascism is laughable.
The “Young Guards,” the youth-wing of his political party, set up
the gallery to display the
work of “patriotically oriented artists” who want to “restore in
the minds of citizens respect and pride in their country.”
A poll last month showed about half of Russia believes Putin has
a
cult of personality. Another poll shows about half of Russia
fears
Soviet-style mass repression will return in their
lifetime. Reason has talked to several Russian
libertarians about Putin’s domestic
crackdown on political
opposition and the press.
On Friday, I reported on the return of Cold War-type action,
like Russia
flying nuclear-equipped bombers over Europe.
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