Jeg tillader mig, at citere Guido Gianasso´s indlæg fra LinkedIn.
Synes han har en rigtig god pointe omkring kulturen og "bare" at fjerne Putin nok ikke løser problemerne.
"THE REAL PROBLEM WITH RUSSIA IS NOT PUTIN: IT IS RUSSIA
Since the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, Western observers have kept focusing on Putin. He is considered the core of the problem: a despot who brainwashes his people and runs his country with terror. While this is somehow true, the real problem is somewhere else.
Russia has been bullying, threatening and invading its neighbours for centuries. Finland, the Baltic states, Poland, Romania, Georgia, Afghanistan have been its victims long before Putin.
Even today, Putin is very popular among Russians. Recent polls suggest that over 70% of Russians in Russia support Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. Incredibly, this is also the case for 78% of Russians living in the Baltic states. How is this possible? Russians living in Estonia are EU citizens, free from Putin´s control and brainwashing. Yet, the large majority support him.
Don´t get me wrong. There are many Russians who oppose Putin. Some of them are bravely challenging him in the streets of Moscow. Many well educated, cosmopolitan Russian upper-middle class citizens vote with their feet and leave the country. But they are only a minority. The sad reality is that most Russians are with Putin and support his invasion of Ukraine.
So, where is the real problem? The problem lies in Russian culture: a combination of high power-distance, collectivism and nationalism. The high power distance suggests that Russians reject the idea of a democratic system and have a preference for a strong leader running the country with an iron fist: Putin today, Stalin before him. Russian leaders who tried to make the country more democratic - like Gorbachev or Yeltsin - are unpopular in Russia.
Nationalism, solidarity and cultural identity shared between Russians is complex and usually summarised through metaphors. Sometimes, Russians revert to simply leaving this fact unexplained, quoting the famous poet Fyodor Tyutchev, who said “you cannot understand Russia with your mind… you can only believe in it”. Others refer to the idea and symbolism of a shared Russian ‘soul’ (dusha). This explains the soul as the combination of one’s heart, mind and culture, and the uniting point making Russians a cohesive and proud ‘people’ (narod), constantly engaged in a epic battle to defend its "soul" against foreign enemies. If you read Putin´s speeches, you will find this theme again and again.
Understanding the cultural roots of today´s tragic events is important. We must realise that getting rid of Putin will not solve the problem. The only way to build peace and stability in Europe is working on a long-term strategy to contain Russia. This can only be done with a combination of stiff economic sanctions, rapid build-up of a strong European defence system, independence from Russian gas and integration of Ukraine and Moldova in the European Union."