Sunday, September 15, 2013

"A wolf’s grin" - Reactions to Putin's NYT op-ed article: President Putin should give more credit to his audience: Russia will be judged by its actions | Putin's comments caused consternation among politicians and commentators in the United States | Boehner Says He Was 'Insulted' by Putin Op-Ed | Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, said on CNN he "almost wanted to vomit" when he read the op-ed at dinner on Wednesday | Ketchum has earned more than $25 million working for Russia | "A wolf’s grin" - by ROSS DOUTHAT - NYT: "Vlad": “Oh — and if I should need post-presidential career outside of Mother Russia, I think my Op-Ed sets me up nicely to become a columnist for your New York Times, no?”




Mike Nova comments: 

Mr. Putin, If you believe that whatever you say and do is so true, correct and convincing, why do you need to pay millions of dollars to public relations firms (almost two million dollars were paid to Ketchum just in the first half of this year) when so many people in Russia go plain hungry? Maybe this money would be better spent on establishing more soup kitchens in Russia and feeding the poor? Or do you not really believe that it is true, correct and convincing and prefer to influence and buy public opinion abroad to exercise "soft power" rather than to take care of your own people? 
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PATRICK CHAPPATTE

A Russian Take on Syria


Patrick Chappatte

What Vladimir Putin didn't tell the American people about Syria

Russia's leader poses as a champion of the rule of law in a New York Times op-ed, but his record as Assad's backer is shameful



President Putin should give more credit to his audience: Russia will be judged by its actions, both on the international arena and domestically. So far, Russia has been a key obstacle to ending the suffering in Syria. A change towards a more constructive role would be welcome. But a compilation of half-truths and accusations is not the right way to signal such a change.
• This article was originally published on Human Rights Watch's Dispatches blog and is crossposted by kind permission
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Vladimir Putin wrote 'basic content' of New York Times op-ed, spokesman says


Russian president's article, which took a swipe at Obama over Syria, was pitched to the Times by pro-Russian firm Ketchum


Putin's comments caused consternation among politicians and commentators in the United States. Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, said on CNN he "almost wanted to vomit" when he read the op-ed at dinner on Wednesday. The article "really raises the questions of how serious this Russian proposal is," Menendez said.
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Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times, confirmed that it was Ketchum who approached the newspaper. A spokeswoman for Ketchum said she could not comment on the op-ed but that the company would be providing a written statement later.
According to a Department of Justice filing published by ProPublica, Ketchum was under contract with the Russian Federation to promote "Russia as a place favorable for foreign investments". The contract was extended late last year, and ProPublica reported that the PR firm received $1.9m from Russia in the first half of 2013.
"The opinion piece was written by President Putin and submitted to the New York Times on his behalf by Ketchum for their consideration," Ketchum said in a statement to the Guardian.
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Putin unveiled a new foreign policy document in February that named soft power and economic diplomacy the new top priorities of Russia's relations with the world. The country would "develop its own effective means of information influence on public opinion abroad," the document stated.

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Speaker John A. Boehner shared a candid moment with reporters Thursday regarding  Russian President Vladimir Putin's op-ed in The New York Times about Syria.Stephen Crowley/The New York TimesSpeaker John A. Boehner shared a candid moment with reporters Thursday regarding  Russian President Vladimir Putin’s op-ed in The New York Times about Syria.
WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner said he was “insulted” byPresident Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s op-ed article in Thursday’s New York Times.
In the article, Mr. Putin questioned President Obama’s justification for seeking military action against Syria and implored the White House, “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.”
Asked what he thought of Mr. Putin’s words, Mr. Boehner told reporters on Thursday, “It’s probably why I’ve suggested I have doubts about the motives of the Russians and Assad,” referring to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
Because his first answer was so brief, he was asked again what he thought more candidly. He responded, “I was insulted.”
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LETTERS - NYT

Putin’s Plea: Sampling the Reviews

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U.S. public-relations firm helps Putin make his case to America - Reuters

OP-ED COLUMNIST

Call Me Vlad

Gay Man In Russia Apparently Raped By Vigilantes On Video

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Russia

Gay Man In Russia Apparently Raped By Vigilantes On Video

A screen shot from a video purportedly showing a man being threatened at gunpoint while being forced to sodomize himself with a bottle.
A screen shot from a video purportedly showing a man being threatened at gunpoint while being forced to sodomize himself with a bottle.