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EESTI ELU reedel, 27. mail 2022 — Friday, May 27, 2022
Nr. 21
Russia’s long road to nowhere Toomas Lukk, Estonian Ambassador
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Putin’s and Trump’s lies – any differences? Observers have traced Putin’s lies about Ukraine back some 14 years. Trump’s lies became more apparent and news worthy when he became a possible presidential conten der a few years prior to the 2016 elections. Putin’s dishonesty, his Stalin language, was part of his Soviet legacy. Trump’s falsifications show his contempt for democratic integrity, for the public, for even his supporters. Both men know they can lie with impunity and they know they won’t even suffer a reputational penalty. More than a decade before Russia’s current attack on Ukraine, the Russian foreign ministry falsely accused Ukraine of “heroizing the accomplices of fascism”, of violating the rights of Ukrainian Russian-speakers” and eliminating “the Russian language from the public life of the country”. (In fact, Russian had been given official status in parts of Ukraine.) Similar accusations from Moscow preceded its in vasion of Georgia in 2008. Now according to Putin, Ukrainian leaders were neo- Nazis and drug dealers holding Ukraine hostage. The Russian military intervention, according to Putin, would protect Rus sians in eastern Ukraine from being victims of genocide. Added to this fabrication was Putin’s insistence that NATO is an external military threat and Ukraine must be prevented from joining it. Putin lies, and lies big. His falsehoods lead to serious, deadly consequences. In contrast, after most of Trump’s brazen falsehoods, the dust settles and nothing happens. Remember when Mr. Trump said that the head of the US boy scouts called to praise him for a speech? No such call took place. It was a flagrant untruth. A rather insignificant white lie? But still in a moral lock-step with Putin. It’s known that sometimes Trump gets confused about policy, so his intent isn’t always to deceive. But is he befuddled about his own behaviour? Towards the end of his term a reporter asked him: “Mr. President, after three and a half
years, do you regret at all, all the lying you have done to the American people?” “What?” “All the lying, all the dishonesty.” “That who has done?” “You have done.” No answer. Was he confused? Not likely. Numerous fact-checking organizations (this activity is now being labeled as a left-wing conspiracy by Trump’s proxies) have placed the total of Trump’s falsehoods anywhere from 15,000 to 30,00 during his fouryear term. It has been a constant, aggressive assault of dishonesty on the people, that still continues at full pace. Trump’s Big Lie, that the last election victory was robbed from him, unravels society, dividing people into believers and disbelievers and convincing them that nothing is true but the claims of their leader. The Big Lie has found prominent political allies in Washington and far-right media sycophants. The Big Lie has even fomented violence such as January 6, 2021. Just like Putin’s warm-up lies in 2008 and his false claims about not being involved in the incursions that started in 2014 and culminated in attacking Ukraine outright in 2022, the Big Lie has been part of Trump-generated background noise for years. Already in 2016 he said that the elections were rigged – when he still thought he would lose. Trump’s supporters then believed the opposition would steal the election if given the slightest chance. Both Putin and Trump are consumed by a victimization myth. Putin insists the Soviet Union collapsed as the “greatest catastrophe of the 20th century” as a result of a conspiracy by a conniving West. This is echoed by Trump’s mantra of the Big Lie being orchestrated by the power- hungry opposition cleverly manipulating election results. Putin refuses to acknowledge the amount of social and economic decay that his own stagnant autocratic regime could withstand. But, according to him, only a radical change could help the country move forward. Trump scorns the court decisions (all 65 of them) that have rejected the Big Lie proponents’ cases against the out-
prompted a political confrontation in 1992, followed by a bloody constitutional crisis in Russia’s expansionism, im 1993 and the First Russianperialism and chauvinism Chechen war in 1994. have degraded the country The Beatles song titled into a pariah state, exposing “Back in the U.S.S.R.” (1968), its deeply rooted inferiority is apropos of Putin’s ascent to complex. the apex of power in Russia. In 1990, at the end of the The song was inspired by a Cold War, the Scorpions re- Russian spy returning home. In leased a song titled “Wind of 1999, Putin became the acting Change” foretelling that “dis- Prime Minister of Russia. Soon tant memories are buried in the afterwards, Putin made headpast forever“. lines for initiated the Second A year later, the Soviet Chechen war. Union ceased to exist in 1991 By 2007, Putin was bold and the “evil empire” became enough to challenge the west history, for good. President and the international world George H. W. Bush said in his order at the Munich security Christmas address that the col- forum. A year later Russia lapse of the Soviet Union meant attacked Georgia, followed by victory for freedom, democracy the beginning of the military and moral values. He welcomed campaign in Eastern Ukraine the emergence of a free, inde- and annexation of Crimea in pendent and democratic Russia, 2014. marking the end of confrontaOn February 24, 2022, Putin, tion and the receding nuclear however, unleashed “the memothreat. Expectations that Euro ries of the past” when he depean peoples would live happily, clared an unjustified and unproand in peace, ever after were voked war against Ukraine – in high. Putin’s interpretation a “special Der Spiegel, referring to de- operation” to demilitarize and classified memos, recently pub- denazify Ukraine. lished a cautionary note from Ukraine’s valiant fight, howEduard Shevardnadze (twice ever, has forced Putin to rework foreign minister of the Soviet his narrative to justify his war. Union, later President of Geor He now claims that Russia’s gia), who warned in October invasion of Ukraine was neces1991 that a fascist leader could sary because “the West was preone day rise to power in Russia. paring for the invasion of our After the demise of the land, including Crimea”. Soviet Union, hopes of creating Such a change of narrative a democratic Russia tumbled. aims to misrepresent Russia’s Yeltsin’s economic reforms naked aggression as a heroic
come of the elections. Both men rely on flagrant dishonesty in their campaign to grab the hearts and minds of followers. Trump feels a real kinship with Putin, deeming him “savvy”, “smart” and “genius” on the eve of Russia’s attack on Ukraine – an invasion that was inevitable for all. An unabashed Putin totally repudiated any suggestion of invading a neighbouring country. Trump, with his praise, clearly admired this flagrant deception. Trump has emboldened the American extreme right, and their lies, in turn, are mutually reinforcing with Putin’s. Seg ments of Fox News’ commentator Tucker Carlson are frequently aired on Russian propaganda outlets – all TV is under the Kremlin’s control. Carlson’s fabricated references to the US funding biological weapons labs in Ukraine and the expansion of NATO as a justification for Russia’s invasion are juicy news-bites that Moscow’s falsification apparatus gratefully exploits. Putin and Trump both seem to feel comfortable being dishonest, even when their lies can be easily disproven. They themselves don’t need to believe what they say and don’t feel the necessity to convince others of the veracity of their claims. They lie brazenly to assert power.
This harkens back to Trump’s contemptuous assertion in 2016 that he “can shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters”. He’s convinced that he can lie about anything, anytime, anywhere, to anyone and be immune from any consequences. Both Putin and Trump can claim control over truth itself. And not paying anything for telling easily unmasked lies is super-effective in asserting one’s power. Lying by leaders of world powers accentuates its destructive nature for society. It’s estimated that a significant part of Trump’s ‘base’ know Trump is lying and still support his lies. Similarly, a significant segment of the Russian population realizes the falsity of Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine, but still endorses it. When these people are confronted with this anomaly, it’s the ‘so what’ response that’s the most destructive. Both belief and doubt are irrelevant for them. Some scholars have observed that creeping autocratic rule makes heady concoction for people whose discernment of the difference between reality and unreality, fact and fiction, true and false is no longer important. People who don’t care about flagrant dishonesty in leadership, perpetuate their lies. That’s dangerous. LAAS LEIVAT
stand against the West and to deflect away from Russia’s military failures and rally the Russian people to support Putin’s war. This cynically manipulative narrative recasts the aggressor as the victim. Russia has even threatened to use nuclear weapons, exposing Putin’s desperation. If they (the west) do not respect us (нас не уважают); then they must be afraid of us (боятся). Putin’s rhetoric aims to distract the West and to drive a wedge between allied western capitals. The West must not let itself be distracted and must focus on responding to Russia’s aggres sion, raising the cost of it and degrading its military capability. Over the last three months, Putin has proven many things to the world but most persuasively, it is his ambiguity, untrust worthiness and ruthlessness. Prior to his invasion, he advised Western interlocutors that Russia had no intention to attack Ukraine. But he did. Blocking access to free media, promoting propaganda and disinformation campaigns he deceives the Russian people of the reasons for the war and the situation on the battlefield. His Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks gibberish to international au diences, arrogantly comparing Ukraine with Palestine, and Russia with the US. The West’s long-standing appeasement policy toward Russia has failed. Over the centuries, Russia’s territorial expansion has given its autocratic rulers additional legitimacy. A deeply rooted sense of imperialism and national chauvinism has created a false and extreme sense of national pride and has made Russians believe in its superiority and uniqueness. Putin’s view that the collapse of the Soviet Union represents the biggest catastrophe of the 20th century alludes to his aspiration of resurrecting the Soviet empire. Russia’s failure to carry out successful democratic and domestic economic reforms has only exacerbated his imperial ambitions. Yet, in Putin’s case, Shevardnadze’s warning of the rise of a fascist leader results from a combination of authoritarianism and wounded pride that when blended with Soviet ideology, exposes a deeply rooted inferiority complex. Russia represents a strategic challenge to its neighbors and beyond. In fact, Russia’s borders have never been as safe as after the EU and NATO acceptance of Central and Eastern Euro pean countries (CEEC) as members, 18 years ago. The CEEC’s have become stable and well-recognized democracies. Though some lingering re ferences to “former soviet bloc countries” must end as they support the twisted Soviet narrative of Russia as a “liberator” and helps feed into Putin’s Soviet-mania. (Continued on page 11)
