Dear President Putin -A Realist Unsolicited Advice from a nobody in Ghana

Nana Addo and Putin (Socchi, 2019)

Dear comrade...ehmmm, well your excellency Mr. President Putin (since you are no longer a leader of a socialist republic but a consummate overlord of billionaires in an oligarchic state much like the rest of the world, I can't refer to you as a comrade. Forgive my nick picking but I wanted to address you properly. But I digress.

Venerable White Bear of the Russian federation, I have advice for you regarding the choices before you and the consequences of whichever of them you make. Mr. President, you need to decide whether you want to live in the Washington-created world as a vassal state or you want to be an enemy of Washington and by so doing finding your own rival world system to live in. Right now what you are doing is demanding to have a cake you have just finished eating. And as the saying goes, you can't eat your cake and have it.

Let me explain.

I do not know, either by negligence, lack of foresight, or sheer incompetence or weakness, the USSR (your father) lost the opportunity to create or recreate the world in your image. You lost the ideological battle (communism is dead around the world...even mother Russia under your able stewardship embraced your 'former' frenemy's ideological argument: for Russia is now an extremely capitalist nation.)

You lost the financial battle: for all major centers of global capital is in Washington's borders or in one of her vassal states; alongside the global reserve currency being Washington's dollar. I chock this up to ineptitude on your part because you USSR attended the Bretton Woods Conference whose crowning outcome was tethering the global financial system firmly in the hands of Washington. Even you saved a significant chunk of your foreign exchange earnings in Washington's dollar or the currency of Washington's vassal states (the Euro). You acknowledged defeat here when you chose to freely do business with the dollar that obviously strengthens Washington.

You failed the technology battle: for no new significant commercial or strategic future technologies have come out of Moscow is ages. Your entire economy depends on Washington's technologies or that of her vassals. What is even embarrassing is learning that your military drones (an important strategic security and military asset) even uses semiconductors made by Washington or her vassals. From personal computers to enterprise software, you depend on companies nurtured in the warm bosom of Washington to run your economic, social, and sometimes military affairs.

You lost the global strategic friends making game that big powers do. The recent vote in the UN general assembly where only a handful of countries voted in your favor shows how you've lost the friends making game to Washington.

All I'm saying from the above is that Washington has outsmarted and outplayed you in the great power games.

So Mr. President, here is a candid realpolitik review of your Russia's posture towards the West (whose current leader is Washington) over the centuries.

Mr. President, you will agree with me that ⁩ since Peter the Great Russia has always admired and turned towards the West. Peter the Great changed Russia to be more like the West including how you write and how you even dress. Russia have often looked to the West whenever it sought advancement. I know Russia has been a great power many times since Peter the Great, the latest being during Soviet times. But you will acknowledge that you are no longer a great power, at least not in the same class as Washington.

Unfortunately Mr. President, what I have observed is that Russia over the years and even now under your stewardship have just aimed to enjoy the benefits the West brings (or what I call Washington's western world order) but don't want to be under Washington's rules. The current world is Washington's envisioned one. I am not saying this because I am partial to Washington but it is the truth (and I am partial to Washington). The international political structure is controlled by Washington, Washington has more friends and vassals than you, she has a vastly better and bigger economy than you, the global finance and trade structure is Washington's brainchild and the architecture of global tech sector is Washington's as well with you providing little contributions to the world in these areas.

Undeniably, Washington is the only big boy in town. In today's world, crafted in Washington's image, you benefit from the world created by Washington. Even Beijing, the other big boy, is a creation of Washington. Modern Beijing was conceived of as a factory for Washington's oligarchs. So even though you benefit from Washington's world order, you seem to think that you can decide what to do especially going against Washington's wishes when you still enjoy the benefits of the world Washington has created. You cannot eat your cake and have it. You either become Washington's vassal or you become her enemy. The equal partnership you are seeking from Washington cannot be offered because, to my chagrin, international politics is similar to high school politics: only one big guy is allowed in the group. One leads and the rest follows. Washington's rule is simple: you do what we tell you so you can enjoy the benefits of being in our group. Otherwise brave the cold lonely world out there!!

Mr. President, I know your bear-like ego might balk at the proposition of subservience to Washington. But I want you to think about this more soberly and with your population in mind. Apart from you, do you realize that all the big powers in Europe before the WWII have acquiesced to being Washington's small boys? The mighty island empires of Japan and Britain are now like cute poodles of Washington. The mighty Germans dance to Washington's every tune. What about Charlamagne's France? They all play the vassal game with Washington.

Mr. President, mighty bear, don't mistake my unfortunately lampoonish description of once mighty empires above for arguing against becoming a vassal to Washington. Quite the opposite it was that I am aiming at. Compare the standard of living of these cute puppies of Washington to mighty Russia! My interactions with Russian youth tells me that they all will prefer living in London, Beijing, Tokyo and Paris instead of Moscow. It should tell you something. Sometimes being in the well crafted tent owned by the big guy and fetching him a bowl of soup on instruction is better than freezing to death in your own perforated rickety tent.

Vassalage under Washington is not so bad for most of the former big powers. As a former big power yourself, you are likely to enjoy the same benefits as Berlin or Tokyo is enjoying. You only have to pay a small price: your dignity. But who wants dignity when his belly is empty? A father sometimes can endure all kinds of humiliation to feed his children. Think about the youth of Russia in your opposition to Washington.

Anyway Mr. President, you can choose the rickety perforated tent and brave the oncoming blizzard on your own. If you survive, you'll be stronger in long run. But I doubt you'll survive because that big guy in the other rent is not only secure in his good tent but has set up a wind hose to blow more snow against your rickety tent.

You may also find another big tent to join. But your dignity is still at stake either way for the only other big tent is home to Beijing who to my mind, as I have already said, is a creation (albeit recently unruly) of Washington. There is no doubt in my mind that if you ask my fellow youth in Moscow, they'll rather you join Washington's big tent.

Thank you very much Mr. President. I hope my unsolicited advice reaches you safe and sound in Vladivostok.