] Olaoye] Wole Putin: What manner of policeman?

Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin may be only 5ft 7ins, but he straddles the world like a giant. He stands ramrod straight in the company of other world leaders as if trying to ensure that every inch of his modest height counts. I have always been intrigued by the Russian leader since he was eased into high office by his mentor, Boris Yeltsin. Putin always looks determined, well-rehearsed and singleminded. He appears committed to fulfilling his selfappointed role as the world’s alternate policeman on the assumption that America’s Obama is the incumbent number one policeman of the world.

Since the days of the Cold War, I have never gone along with either the rabidly capitalist or passionately communist ideological divides because I could see that each had its merits and demerits. With time, the Iron Curtain fell; communist countries introduced elements of capitalism and capitalist countries embraced elements of welfarism. Even those states that were monarchical/ theocratic saw the wisdom in Mahatma Ghandi’s famous declaration that the only way God could appear to a starving man was in the form of bread.

Many of us in the student movement of yore, however, appreciated the power of collectivist struggle. It was better, we reasoned, to fight for the common good than for the privilege of a few. It was in that context that the old Soviet Union held some attraction for many activists. America represented the bully. Many of the emerging African leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah and Patrice Lumumba were done in by the US fearing that they were espousing dangerous ‘communist’ ideas. It was only natural for other activists to tilt towards the Soviet Union which preached universal brotherhood and the unity of all working peoples all over the world.

But the communist system itself had its own contradictions. It limited the freedom of the people. Not until the creative spirit of the people was allowed free rein did those societies know meaningful material and human development. So, there’s something to be said for freedom and liberty. The death of communism, however, massively reduced the acrimony between the East and the West. America emerged as the sole superpower with Russia trying to pick up the pieces after the unbundling of the old Soviet Union.

In my opinion, no Russian leader has given the impression that he was still operating under the Cold War ethos than Vladimir Putin. While his predecessors cut the picture of moderate statesmen, Mr Putin appears to be stuck in the old days of cloak-and-dagger politics of the Cold War. Perhaps that was to be expected considering the fact that he had served as an officer in the KGB for 16 years, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before he retired to enter politics in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991. Since then he has chased his political opponents either into jail or beyond the Russian borders. With Putin, you are either hot or cold; if you are lukewarm he spits you out of his mouth.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated cases was the criminal prosecution of Russia’s then richest man, President of YUKOS company, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for fraud and tax evasion. Khodorkovsky was arrested, his company bankrupted and its assets auctioned at give-away prices. Putin’s signal of the birth of state capitalism was unmistakable.

The ultra-nationalist in Putin has had its good sides. To be fair, during his first coming, real incomes increased by a factor of 2.5 and real wages more than tripled. He reduced unemployment and poverty by more than 50 per cent. There was noticeable high economic growth; GDP increased by 72 per cent. He also undertook large scale military and police reforms and supported hightech nuclear and defence industries. He gave incentives to foreign car manufacturers to open plants in Russia leading to a massive increase in foreign direct investment. By and large he has done well for his country if one ignores the small matter of hounding opponents with his now famous political bear hug.

When Barack Obama appeared on the scene, something told me that Putin would try to challenge every move of the new American leader whose popularity among the youth of the world cut across all countries of the world including Russia. Obama — tall, gangling, athletic, suave, good looking and blessed with a gift of the garb — could pose a challenge to any other leader who viewed international politics as personal contest (my biceps are bigger than yours)! Against Obama’s passion for basketball, Putin holds a 6th dan (red/white belt) and is best known for his Harai Goshi (sweeping hip throw). Remember, he earned a Master of Sports in judo in 1975 and in sambo in 1973. He also holds a 6th dan black belt in Kyokushin kaikan karate.

All that is well and nice. The world would probably be a better place if there is a balance of power between the two contending tendencies in the East and the West. A humorous friend of mine once described it as using Lucifer to checkmate Satan. My concern is what kind of alternative policeman is Putin going to be? His support for murderous regimes is legendary.

The latest horror is the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines passenger jet MH 17 near the Russian border allegedly by Ukrainian separatists who have been enjoying undisguised Russian support. The killing of 298 innocent souls in a quest to expand Russian area of influence cannot be excused by the sane world. Perhaps Mr Putin was encouraged to continue goading his protégés along having recently succeeded in annexing Crimea. I’m sorry, I don’t want this kind of policeman watching my back. I’d rather stay with the devil I know.

In spite of all the problems in the world, good things will continue happening to good people. I had enrolled for the masters programme in Mass Communication at the University of Lagos in 1984 with the understanding that Prof. Frank Ugboaja would supervise my thesis. Alas, the great man died. I approached Dr Olatunji Dare with my proposed topic and, as they say, the rest is history. I want to publicly acknowledge the unassuming, perspicacious, insightful, widely read and humorous teacher, researcher and prose stylist as one of the most engaging minds it has been my fortune to encounter. As they say where I come from, Igba odun, odun kan!