Vladimir Putin
The Tsar of the new Russian Empire is currently speaking to the Russian people which will go on for a very long time. In the meantime those that oppose Mr Putin bullying and land grabbing are quietly squeezing the finances of Russia to teach him not to push his weight around.
Using financial sanctions is the most effective way to punish rogue dictators as it harms the rich and middle classes forcing them to flee or place their finance somewhere safer like gold or other foreign exchanges. It wont remove them from office but it will give those opposed to the dictator heart as it destroys the image of the ‘Leaders’ omnipotence.
Obviously those who support Putin will say he is not a dictator and that his land grab in Georgia and The Ukraine is both reasonable and justified to keep at bay the old fascist forces which reside in those regions since World War 2.
His supports would also state that the sanctions imposed on Russia rich will ultimately hurt those who are not rich. This is true but in the end how do you deal with a person like Putin?
Putin may sound like a communist but he is a oligarch with his hand in Russia’s pockets making himself rich – thank you very much. So are his friends and allies enriching themselves while Russia behaves like Upper Volta with nuclear weapons i.e a underdeveloped country but with enough firepower to be taken very seriously.
So while he stands on the political stage and pontificate about the badness of the sanctions, his country’s finances have lost 50% of its value in a month. Russia is in a state of panic, and after the big speech he gives today. he will have to address all those issues such as democracy, economic diversity, social equality, judicial impartiality and public spending.