Putin needs the U.S. as an enemy, because it builds him up as a brave leader and allows him to crack down on internal dissent. The regimes in Iran, Venezuela or North Korea are no different in their dependence on U.S. censure – the harsher, the better.
Opinion
Time Is Catching Up with Putin
Vladimir Putin’s biggest enemy isn’t his opposition, but the simple passage of time.
Taking on Merkel
Bespectacled and balding, Peer Steinbrück has the charm of a bank manager. The only moment I saw him betray any emotion was when he punched the air at the end of the delegates’ 10-minute standing ovation.
Up in the Air
Berlin’s new airport, which was supposed to be the city’s gateway to the world, has turned into a symbol of its provincialism.
Hands Off Germany’s Neo-Nazi Party
Far-right parties are a scourge of many European democracies. But trying to prohibit them does nothing to uproot chauvinism or stop racist violence. It only creates the illusion that politicians are taking action.
Party Like It’s 2012
The ritual extravaganza to celebrate Germany’s fourth estate would have been a great night out — were the country’s media not facing their biggest crisis since World War II.
Love in the Time of Cynicism
In March I attended a reception at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Moscow. When a certain, not unknown Russian-American gentleman noticed me, he smiled dryly and exclaimed: “Ah, the anti-Putin blogger!”
Russia’s Approaching Nonelection
If all goes according to plan, the Kremlin candidate will sweep the election as the standard-bearer of strength and stability. Whatever the next president’s name, the winner will be Putin.
Putin’s Bag of Tricks
Kremlin politics is so opaque that it functions like a sort of personality test. Optimists glean just enough hope to justify their wishful thinking, while pessimists find hints of the most monstrous conspiracy theories.
