The title above comes from the laudatory statement last spring of former First Deputy Duma Speaker Lyubov Sliska about Communist autocrat Vladimir Putin who has not only tightened his control over Russia but who has so enjoyed playing the part of the belligerent tough guy in the new Cold War with the West.TIME magazine, of course, has named Vladimir Putin as its Man of the Year. But keep in mind that this particular honor doesn't necessarily suggest honorable behavior. Wallis Warfield Simpson "won" in 1936; Adolf Hitler in 1938; Josef Stalin twice in 1939 and 1942; Nikita Krushchev in 1957; the Ayatullah Khomeini in 1979; and Deng Xiaoping in 1985.
The TIME article is of great interest certainly but I believe a fairer, more insightful view of Putin and his effects can be found in this piece written by Radio Free Europe analyst Robert Coalson.
