PUTIN MARGINALIZED: RUSHES TO IRAN

Is Russia being forced into the doomed Middle East uprising? Has Putin done his dash? The recent rumour of a plan to assassinate Russian President, Vladimir Putin is the icing on the cake in a rapid succession of news stories highlighting the president's unpopularity.

Having learned that all is not always as it seems, I'm taking all this with a grain of salt, but it's forming a very interesting pattern. Putin appears to be growing paranoid, isolating himself and consolidating his grip on the country while viewing much of the outside world with deep suspicion:

Russia's latest outburst of passive-aggressive paranoia, aimed at Britain in particular, may reflect a realisation in the Kremlin that western resistance to its perceived bullying of neighbours, disdain for civil and human rights, and cut-throat energy policy is growing after years of blind eyes, held noses and wishful thinking.

President-prime minister Vladimir Putin likes to emphasise Russia's resurgent power, buoyed by record oil and gas export receipts and renewed self-belief. But hackneyed claims that British agents are plotting to destroy the fatherland, recycled yesterday by Russia's chief spymaster, Nikolai Patrushev, smack of weakness not strength.

As a result, the west appears to be distancing itself from Russia after all the flexing of muscle employed by Putin; his arming of Iran and Syria, his loud jabs at the United States, his flagrant disregard for the rights of the U.K. to subpoena a suspected killer to face justice where he committed the crime.

Enter Condoleeza Rice and Sarkozy. Rice, in a recent visit to Russia, took the side of Russian human rights activists against the growing power of the State. This could only have been interpreted as a huge slap in the face for Putin.

And Sarkozy basically rapped Putin across the knuckles in his recent visit to Russia:

He confronted Putin over Russia's provocation of Georgia, met with one of the pro-Putin set's most despised figures, leading dissident Svetlana Gannushkina (saying of her group "I thank God that there are organizations like this in the world able to take, and that are taking upon themselves the responsibility to point out mistakes to the powers that be"), issued tough new rhetoric on Russia's support of Iran, and lectured Russia about "acting responsibly" as if it were a child.

Putin was seen in public brooding and refusing to smile at the ebullient Sarkozy during his visit.

It looks as though Putin is being marginalized by the west (with good reason). Meanwhile, Putin is off to Iran and the talk is that he is going to talk war. I wonder if Putin's Russia is going to be dragged into the coming Middle East conflict? And what about the other players in this little group of outsiders; Venezuela, Cuba, China and friends? Which will protect their own interests and which will be irresistibly drawn into the maelstrom?

SOURCES: Here, here and here.
Cross-posted here