Memories of the 28th Century

You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. (An old adage)

Mr. Putin, I usually try to ignore what the leaders of other countries do; it usually is none of my business, but the recent activities that Russia has engaged in with respect to Ukraine are the business of everyone in the world. We know the history, and we understand why Russia might want to regain some of its past glory, but taking pieces of neighboring countries in an attempt to do that is counterproductive; it makes Russia look weak and petty. If you really want Russia to be a great country again, then make it a place where people want to live and do business. As you know, the population of Russia has shrunk since the end of the Soviet era.

The population hasn't shrunk because Russia is a great country; it has shrunk because Russia has economic and political problems. Rule from the top is seldom best for the people and the economy. Centralizing power tends to centralize wealth, and that is not advantageous for most people. I realize that you and your friends are doing quite well now, but the average Russian is not doing as well. If you built internal markets and ensured the benefits of democratic institutions, then everyone would gain. As an example of how much better people do when there is good government that does not favor particular people, consider the United States of America. In the 1950's the U.S.A. had fair and equitable government policy and laws, and the governance was not centralized, and the economy flourished. Since then the U.S. government has continually increased its power at the expense of the states, and the economy has had problems, and the people are not as happy. The U.S.A. has not yet gotten to the point where people are leaving in great numbers, and people are still trying to get in, because they don't realize how much worse the economy is. Russia should try to make itself as desirable for people to live in as possible; immigration is an excellent measure of how well a country is doing. Increasing population by conquering another country is not a good way to increase population.

Specifically, as to Ukraine, Russia agreed to a treaty that recognised the borders of Ukraine, but apparently you weren't satisfied with that, so you took Crimea, and now you want more of Ukraine. Remember, abrogating obligations under treaties does not make a country great; it shows the country is untrustworthy. And don't think for a second that anyone believes what you have said about that airliner. We know that the missile battery was hauled into Ukraine and fired from there, and we know that it was hauled back into Russia. We don't know who operated the battery, but isn't important. We are also aware that Speznaz personnel and regular army personnel were involved in the rebellion in Ukraine from the beginning.

You have denied everything, but that doesn't fool anyone. Your activities in Ukraine have annoyed your neighbors and trading partners, and Russia isn't in a position to lose trading partners. The economy of Russia is not closely tied in with other economies. Western Europe doesn't import much from Russia, except for gas, and there are other sources for gas. If Russia does not wish to have good relations with other countries, then Russia can expect to see its economy shrink further. A strong, wealthy Russia of the future will need good relations with countries that will accept goods from Russia and pay for those goods. Don't follow the example of the U.S. of the last fifty years and ship manufacturing to other countries and hope that Russia will be able to continue buying those things. Have many trading partners and sell finished goods to those partners. Having "arm’s length" partners is essential to having a strong economy, as essential to a strong economy as is a large domestic market. Keep Ukraine and the other former parts of the Soviet empire as trading partners. Those other countries can put up with the problems of having all those non-Russian speaking people, and Russia can just make the goods that they will buy.

We aren't going to play this the way that Europe played with Hitler. We aren't going to appease you. We are going to block your moves, and we are going to win.

But back to the core of the matter at hand, I could go on about how cowardly Russia looks now, as cowardly as your soldiers looked when they whipped the members of Pussy Riot in Sochi during the Winter Olympics. Yes, big, strong men whipping women. That’s not how men act. Now your army is whipping Ukraine, and that shows how brave and strong Russia is.