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Originally Posted by loynokid
Its seemes that i am proved wrong again. Now if you wouldn't mind please tell me why he is saying this stuff.
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We've said plenty of times.
1) Raising his government's profile at home, leading up to the elections in 2008 when his likely successor, Ivanov, will capitalize on pursuing a tough and confident line of foreign policy that shows Russia as not afraid to speak to its interests and criticize others (very different from 90's Russia).
2) Likewise flexing his foreign policy muscle abroad. I consider this to be a 'subtle' hint to the Western leaders that Russia is no longer worried about sounding harsh. For the past while it has been traditional for the West to criticize Russia's exertion of power on and around her immediate interests - and now Putin says "look, we can do this too!"
3) As per the 'liberal media' theory - again, Putin could care less. In fact he knows that the conservative media will be far more in an uproar over this than any liberals, and it is perhaps much-better suited to them, though again - this isn't the purpose. Putin would be catering to western media if he wanted to step softly or bluff; meanwhile I think he's at a point where he's neither bluffing nor stepping softly.
By the way, I still blame the west, in large part the conservative west that has perceived Russia as an enemy/potential enemy, for turning their back on Russia at a crucial moment and not supporting true liberal (in the economic, not neccesarily social, sense) democratic elements and values in the country when it had the chance. Instead they rejoiced at the downfall of the old enemy, and now they're getting the response they deserve - "Don't mess with us, we know what we're doing, and we know what you're doing (and don't like it)".