Getting cosy with Putin dangerous

One must be wary of Western propaganda – as disseminated by mega news corporations including CNN, BBC and Sky News – that Russian President Vladimir Putin is another bloodthirsty bear, like the former Soviet Union. Some in the West are, no doubt, still fighting their idea of a Cold War and the dictatorial Russian leader is a convenient target.

To take the opposite view – as some social media users in South Africa are doing – that a close relationship with Putin and Russia would be good for this country, is bordering on the dangerously naive.

There is no doubt Putin still harbours many of the imperialist tendencies which drove the former USSR to spread its doctrine of Marxism-Leninism as far across the globe as possible.

This is why it would be excessively trusting to think Putin is only interested in a relationship with Jacob Zuma’s ANC government because they are jolly good fellows.

The Russians have a booming nuclear power plant industry which needs feeding. That is one possible explanation for Zuma’s recent appointment of David Mahlobo to the post of energy minister: that Mahlobo will push ahead with the R1 trillion nuclear build programme for the benefit of the Russians.

Putin would love to have influence in this corner of Africa because we are still an economic powerhouse and we sit atop a wealth of strategic minerals.

There are two other ominous observations to make about a possible deepening of ties with Moscow: Jacob Zuma was trained by the KGB and is no natural ally of democracy; and it was the Russian oligarchs who developed the fine art of looting state-owned enterprises after the fall of communism.

Be afraid? Perhaps not … but be very wary.