Thanks for reading The Bridgehead with Jonathon Van Maren! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Several years ago, I traveled to Russia with other journalists to research and report on the story of the Putin regime’s alleged embrace of Christianity. We interviewed priests, nuns, academics, and reporters from major newspapers; we visited Orthodox services, sacred sites, and even a rally in Red Square to celebrate Russia’s annexation of Crimea headlined by pop stars and Putin himself. Our conclusion—one that has been affirmed since—is that Putin’s
Putin is called the grey Czar and according to Masha Gessen he got the job by accident. I think we have to be very careful who we cosy up to. Putin quite clearly is a thug. As such even if they do sone things right it doesn’t mean they are social conservatives. I have learnt a lot about discernment from you, Jonathan,
No, haven’t read that one. Maybe I’ll give it a pass if it’s a real miss. Reading Angela Merkel bio right now. For someone who was generally seen as center-right, I’m trying to figure out some of her drastic mistakes such as Energiewende, shutting down nuclear power etc. Based on stuff I’ve read before, the Green ethic is more deeply ingrained in Germany than perhaps anywhere else.
Putin is called the grey Czar and according to Masha Gessen he got the job by accident. I think we have to be very careful who we cosy up to. Putin quite clearly is a thug. As such even if they do sone things right it doesn’t mean they are social conservatives. I have learnt a lot about discernment from you, Jonathan,
Thank you! The Man Without A Face is a very important read. Stephen Meyer's The New Tsar is also very useful.
I recently read Anne Applebaum’s “Red Famine”. The conclusion I came to is that Putin is the new Stalin. Both were/are barbarians.
That one was brilliant. Applebaum is a great historian. Her only real miss is Twilight of Democracy. Have you read it?
https://thebridgehead.ca/2020/08/13/anne-applebaums-twilight-of-democracy-utterly-fails-to-explain-the-rise-of-the-populist-right/
No, haven’t read that one. Maybe I’ll give it a pass if it’s a real miss. Reading Angela Merkel bio right now. For someone who was generally seen as center-right, I’m trying to figure out some of her drastic mistakes such as Energiewende, shutting down nuclear power etc. Based on stuff I’ve read before, the Green ethic is more deeply ingrained in Germany than perhaps anywhere else.