Yeah.
Let’s just remind ourselves what we’re dealing with here.
Here’s what Putin observed last August:
America are living beyond their means and shifting a part of the weight of their problems to the world economy. They are living like parasites off the global economy and their monopoly of the dollar. If [in America] there is a systemic malfunction, this will affect everyone. Countries like Russia and China hold a significant part of their reserves in American securities. There should be other reserve currencies.
It should be no surprise to anybody, then, that the last Russian government — as well as their autocratic ASEAN friends in China, Pakistan, Iran and so on — began taking proactive measures to extricate itself from the dollar system.
I expect the new government to accelerate such measures.
azizonomics 
I see the FSB have been altering Putin’s Wikipedia page:
Sorry John, I don’t agree thomaz jefferson
sums up my thoughts exactly. May I add, that as a keen proponent of body language study, those tears were real. And don’t tell me it was KGB pepper spray. Russians see tears as weakness. His tears were from an honest man overjoyed with happiness.
I’m not accusing him of anything other than wanting to break out of the dollar system.
If I was him, I’d do the same thing.
Certainly, the election was no more rigged than Bush vs Gore.
Putin is not stupid. And if I am aware that social media and cameras can ruin a career, why would he encourage vote rigging.
Suppose I want to undermine the Government. I use my power and influence to pay key leaders to rally protesters. We film some vote stuffing, we put on the net, we suck in gullible people.
It works both ways.
On my world travels I have made key contacts who I trust and respect for their intelligence. I contact them for on the ground information.
The natives in Russia are happy. That is what counts. Russias Sheeple equivalent have never had a better life. If Russian dissidents are not happy then they can move to the USA, learn English and go head to head with Mitt Romney.
Russian fundamentals have done much, much better under Putin than they did under Yeltsin, or Gorbachev, or probably any of the Soviet leaders.
Certainly, I do not mean to demean or badmouth Putin. You will not find any of the obligatory Western Putin-bashing here. Certainly, Russian democracy is not perfect, but we should put our own house in order before throwing stones at other countries.
I am ambivalent about the Wikipedia quote I posted.
I am on the side of liberty, not of any leader or political regime.
thanks.very good blog.
Personally I’m glad Putin was re-elected. http://bit.ly/AgMKri
He’s not necessarily either good or evil. He is a counterbalance to American imperialism, but he has many flaws of his own.
The greatest truth though is that he, Russia, and ASEAN are a force to be reckoned with.
My thoughts exactly
I take this view, too.