Putin Tells Us Egalitarian Democracy Is Finished

The interview of the crime boss of Russia, Vladimir Putin by the Financial Times was, from Putin's side, an exercise in propaganda, part of his promotion of fascism and even neo-Nazism in Europe, the United States and elsewhere.  As tempting as it is to see his attack on liberalism in ideological terms, it was all about a gangster promoting gangster government over egalitarian democracy because bad government is good for gangsters, especially those who have already taken over a government.  I have pointed out in the past that gangster governments that hide their criminality behind some anti- or non-democratic ideology have some record of often working with their putative ideological opposites, Hitler-Stalin, various Marxist crime regimes with theocratic regimes in the Middle East, the American Republicans and some of the most brutal regimes - those not aligned with the Soviets or others - overthrowing democracies that risk being of, by and for Their People instead of American corporations and, so, the Geo-politics of American gangsters.  

The actual phrasing of what Putin said isn't that important, it was that opposite of "virtue signaling" which, oddly, isn't nearly as despised, evil signaling. It was a gang sign by a gangster that he's going to do business with thugs, fascist thugs, neo-Nazi thugs whereas he won't do business with the kind of liberalism of which the American liberal tradition is a part.  His targeting of multiculturalism as what he meant by liberalism that is doomed is certainly not the secular, 18th century "enlightenment" free market, free trade smoke screen that he's got no problem with.  The reason he's got no problem with it is because that degradation of the word "liberal" is merely a different brand of gangsterism whereas the liberal tradition based in equality and the inherent possession of rights is its one and only political opposite. 

I haven't looked, has The Nation put up an article about how we can do business with Putin?   I'm expecting it will if it already hasn't.   Secularism always will devolve into that because it has no absolute metaphysical restraints of the kind needed to have egalitarian democracy.