Putin rebuffs ‘colonialist’ West
…”If you look at newspapers of 100 years ago, you see how, at the time, colonialist states justified their policies in Africa or in Asia. They talked of their civilising role, of the white man’s mission,” he said.
“If you change the word ‘civilising’ to ‘democratisation’, you find the same logic, you can read the same things in the press today.”
Mr Putin also said Moscow was ready to listen to “well-intentioned criticism”, according to a transcript of his interview with NBC released by the Kremlin.
Pointing to the fact that he was elected directly by the Russian people, he asked how that can be seen as undemocratic.
But he stressed that Russia would “categorically object to using all possible levers, including the idea that our society needs democratisation, for interfering in our internal affairs”.
He called Mr Cheney’s criticism of Russia’s record “a failed hunting shot”.
bbc.co.uk
Gorbachev: ‘Americans Have a Severe Disease’
…”We have made some mistakes,” he said, referring to recent attacks on Russia’s democracy. “So what? Please don’t put even more obstacles in our way. Do you really think you are smarter than we are?”
The former general secretary of the Soviet Union Communist Party accused Americans of arrogance and trying to impose their way of life on other nations.
“Americans have a severe disease — worse than AIDS. It’s called the winner’s complex,” he said. “You want an American style-democracy here. That will not work.”