For people who do not wish to see Russia regain its former strength, if not glory, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is a dangerous czar. Such is the narrative consistently sung by people like Ralph Peters, the writer of the Sept. 30 Washington Post article "Genius lurks in this dangerous czar."
A country as diverse as Russia is in so many ways can only be held together by a powerful central figure. There's no better person than Putin. His predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, was a buffoon. Yeltsin's predecessor was a dreamer who played into the hands of the West.
Instead of focusing on Russia, Peters should focus on his own country's declining economy, growing internal strife and impending financial meltdown. Commentaries like his no longer have the currency they used to have, when the world was under absolute hegemony of the United States. Good riddance, I say.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.