The Valdai Speech

This is an annual speech for Vladimir Putin. Dmitry Peskov oversold it as an earth-shattering speech. Putin said the old recycled grievances he has carried for some time.

Let me quote a little from the speech because it will give you a taste of where we are. There is also a clear crossover with the global new right. Incidentally, this has been a theme with Putin for some time. It’s not new:

Even at the very peak of the Cold War, the peak of the confrontation of the two systems, ideologies and military rivalry, it did not occur to anyone to deny the very existence of the culture, art, and science of other peoples, their opponents. It did not even occur to anyone. Yes, certain restrictions were imposed on contacts in education, science, culture, and, unfortunately, sports. But nonetheless, both the Soviet and American leaders understood that it was necessary to treat the humanitarian area tactfully, studying and respecting your rival, and sometimes even borrowing from them in order to retain a foundation for sound, productive relations at least for the future.

And what is happening now? At one time, the Nazis reached the point of burning books, and now the Western “guardians of liberalism and progress” have reached the point of banning Dostoyevsky and Tchaikovsky. The so-called “cancel culture” and in reality — as we said many times — the real cancellation of…