A Dictatorship for the 21st Century…
I’ll tell you this: After returning from my travels in Russia, I’ve never been so thankful to be an American.
The Washington Post goes so far as to say that Putin is “imposing dictatorship the old-fashion way.”
Putin’s iron-fisted control over Russia’s resource riches has sent him on a power trip worthy of Alexander the Great.
Putin governs Russia with a philosophy the Kremlin calls “Managed Democracy”… which is code for “not a Democracy at all.”
Just a few examples are all it takes to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up…
- He’s seized controlling interest of Gazprom, Russia’s largest energy company and the biggest extractor of natural gas in the world.
- He ruthlessly dismantled Gazprom’s biggest non-state energy competitor, Yukos Oil, by charging them over $7 billion in back taxes and then throwing their CEO into a Siberian prison to rot. He then proceeded to sell Yukos at a fire-sale price to a company he owns 20% of.
- Putin’s secret police force is suspected in the murders of three Russian journalists, all of whom were working on stories exposing corruption inside his administration. When a former official came forward and accused Putin of the killings, he was soon found dead, as well.
- He’s followed devotedly by an almost cultish-like youth movement called the Nashi. Putin often visits their training camps and rallies, including a recent one next to the Kremlin attended by over 20,000 Nashi members where he delivered fiery anti-Western rants and speeches.
- Putin’s second term as President thankfully ends this year. But not so fast… Russia’s incoming President, Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to uphold Putin’s policies. And Putin has already announced that he will assume the position of Russian Prime Minister immediately following Medvedev’s inaguration, all but ensuring that his reign over the country will continue for years to come.
According to The British Financial Times, since Putin has been in office, he’s taken
“a chainsaw to the fragile roots of Russian
Democracy.”That’s an understatement if I’ve ever heard one.
- He’s blocked U.N. sanctions against Iran.
- He recently supplied Iran with their first shipment of nuclear fuel, increasing fears that Iran is developing weapons of mass destruction.
- He’s an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq and has refused to supply military support for the U.S. and its allies.
- He’s cozied up to, and cut deals with, both Hugo Chavez and Kim Jong-il, two outspoken enemies of the U.S.
What we’re looking at here is a power-hungry, anti-American dictator with essentially a free pass to do whatever he pleases around the globe.
Especially because of the damage he can inflict on your bottom line if he continues to play his game of “Resource Roulette” with the world.And I can’t see any reason at all why he wouldn’t.
And his core philosophy in doing so is that America’s days as the world’s preeminent economic superpower are long over.
In his mind, this is Russia’s moment to shine, and he’ll do anything he has to in order to make it happen.
Even though his attack is already underway, there’s still time to protect yourself.
And not only that, but to actually MAKE money off of this escalating crisis, too.
Andrew Mickey
Editor, BreakAway Investor
