On the Atlantic Magazine article 'What Putin Really Wants' by Justin Jofffe

The article appeared in the January/February, 2018 issue.

I talked about the points raised in the article with my friend Chuck over at Miriam's Kitchen.  He pointed out that recently President V. Putin has been concerned with  a number of issues pertaining to his neighboring countries.  He wants to satisfy China's hunger for oil, which should net him profits galore, including the building of a modern seaport in the Crimea (an area annexed by Russia with its dispute with the Ukraine).  Then again, he is concerned to meet oil energy needs of  the European countries, e.g., by building a pipeline from  Russia to Germany, for instance.  He's also concerned to maintain good relations with Syria, so as to continue to use its port cities in the Middle East.  Putin must also assure that Russia is up-to-date technologically in the transportation and developing of  its own oil industry, to be sure.

Concerns about satisfying its neighbors' needs for oil and energy occurs amid the national government's responsibility of assuring the citizenry that it is responsive to the citizenry's needs and demands for a comfortable lifestyle.  The question that must now occur in the minds of  the Russian constituency is, "What, Mr. Putin, have you done for us Russian citizens lately?"   Admittedly. he led the Russian people from the brink of economic disaster after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1990s;  but what has he done for them recently to improve their economic situation?  It would seem that foreign investment has been diminished in recent years, as the economy languishes under sanctions imposed by Western governments. 

When will a prosperous Russia return?   Not likely that the Soviet Empire will return anytime soon.