Vladimir Putin’s Monumental Propaganda Misstep
Unprecedented Lack of Preparation
The Kremlin and Tucker Carlson organized an interview, a media spectacle, to further their interests. We all know why Tucker Carlson would interview a man who never hides his hatred for American interests. But why would the Kremlin invite Tucker to Moscow? Why a platform? Why now? What was it that the Kremlin wanted to achieve?
The Russian media exploited the pre-interview period tirelessly, providing extensive coverage. Some outlets even offered detailed accounts of Tucker Carlson’s activities in the country. This hype, facilitated by state-run media, undoubtedly required approval from higher authorities. As a result, it indicates that average Russians were a key audience targeted for the interview.
The United States finds itself at a pivotal juncture. Senate Republicans are pushing to secure aid for Ukraine, while House Republicans are vehemently opposing it. The timing of the interview mustn’t be overlooked, as it coincides with these critical developments. Moreover, the interview also targets the audience of MAGA supporters in America and members of the American Congress, adding to its significance.
The Kremlin’s intention with the interview may have been to bolster Putin’s image of confidence and convey a message to the Western world about his perceived invincibility. They might have aimed to disrupt European unity, diminish support for Ukraine, and encourage Western leaders to engage with Putin directly, potentially leading to negotiations and a freeze in frontline actions.
The interview yielded the opposite outcome of the Kremlin’s intended objectives. Its repercussions will reverberate when the Kremlin engages in discussions with Ukraine and Western powers.
The interview significantly solidified my negative perception of the Russian president, and likely had a similar impact on many others, particularly in Europe. Conversations with my contacts in Europe consistently circled back to Putin’s alarming remarks about Hitler, which left a lasting impression.
The moment of madness
It took less than ten seconds.
Putin told Tucker Carlson that the Poles forced Hitler to attack them in 1939.
The Poles forced, they played too long and forced Hitler to start World War II with them. Why did the war begin with Poland on September 1, 1939?
Poland was uncooperative. Hitler had nothing else to do in the realization of his plans but to start with Poland? — Russian President Vladimir Putin
These words were deemed undeniable by all. No one attempted to brush them off or label them as delusional or fantasy, as often done with Putin’s statements. This highlights why presidents typically avoid one-on-one TV interviews. While statements can be manipulated, video clips hold undeniable weight and cannot be easily refuted.
If this were a democracy, it might have been feasible to spin and mitigate the impact of the President’s statement. However, a macho-man dictator can only intensify his stance. Consequently, Putin finds himself ensnared in a trap of his own making, unable to disavow the words he broadcasted globally.
Instead of breaking European unity, this statement has allowed them to rally against Putin.
German Chancellor used the word ‘imperialist’ while responding to journalists about the Tucker-Putin interview:
“Now we have seen the Russian president’s interview. To be honest, it only ridicules Russia’s real actions in Ukraine and tells an absolutely absurd story about the reasons for this war. There is a quite clear reason. It is the will of the Russian president and Russia to annex part of Ukraine. And any stories that are told about this do not change the fact that this is the goal of his imperialist intentions.”
Poland, for obvious reasons, responded furiously to Putin’s comments about the World War. British Prime Minister called Putin’s statements “clearly ridiculous.”
Putin has inadvertently reinforced the argument for why the world should rally behind Ukraine and why countering Putin’s forces is paramount for global safety and the future.
There are two vectors Vladimir Putin irrevocably damaged through this interview.
He shut down the path for Putin Apologists to be seated in the post-Ukraine invasion negotiations
Apologists for Putin in the Western world have significantly contributed to advancing his geopolitical objectives over the past two decades. Their support has enabled him to reap benefits from aggressive actions.
The 2008 Sarkozy peace plan that screwed over Georgia and the 2014–2015 Minsk Agreement that set the stage for huge portions of Ukraine to be rolled over in hours in 2022 needed two parts to be successful. An aggressive Putin with his military outside the Russian borders and Putin’s apologists in the west rallying a peace formula that will offer territorial and other concessions to cease hostilities.
The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 represents the most extensive military endeavor undertaken by Vladimir Putin in terms of its magnitude, scope, and duration. Given the vehement opposition of the Ukrainian people to the Russian president, Putin now relies on his western apologists more than ever.
Instead of giving those apologists the space to work his agenda, Vladimir Putin made a complete mess of it.
Poland, Finland, and the Baltic Nations are steadfastly opposed to offering concessions to Putin in exchange for peace. They have vehemently expressed their dissent for an extended period. When the day arrives for negotiating terms, they can simply present the snippet of Putin’s statement alleging Poland’s provocation of Hitler to commence World War II. This alone should suffice to silence Putin’s supporters.
It is over.
Instead of fracturing their unity and diminishing support for Ukraine, Putin has accomplished the opposite effect. His actions have unified Europe in staunch support of Ukraine.
Putin messed up the globalization of right-wing movements
Following the events of last week, right-wing movements worldwide will find it challenging to maintain their coordinated efforts and sustain their political momentum.
The Kremlin is the invisible mothership silently goading right-wing movements around the world. The MAGA caucus in the U.S. Congress is great evidence of how successful they have been.
Republicans now have a group that openly supports Putin. This is no coincidence. It is the direct result of Kremlin’s decades-long efforts. They fine-tuned global right-wing ideology to serve their objectives. Right-wingers push nativist ideology, force nations to look inwards, stay isolationist, while giving Russia all the space to become imperialist.
You don’t take down a pack by going right in the middle; you take them down by breaking their unity and chipping away at those that are at the edges until there is nothing left.
Infiltrating right-wing ideology is an important element, but it was also important to collect a group of politicians who will be sympathetic to the Kremlin. Without those political actors, it will be difficult to mainstream divisive ideologies. That is where Putin made a total mess of.
How will a politician like Marine-Le-Pen (France) accept a loan from the Kremlin in the future? The Washington Post shared some intricate details about Moscow cultivating support in the Western world by going out of their way to help right-wing politicians.
But Moscow’s foreign influence efforts also bubble up from below, or percolate on the margins, with power brokers offering support to Kremlin sympathizers abroad in ways that do not always require Putin’s upfront blessing.
The Le Pen loan, analysts say, is an example of how it works. After Putin sets out the vision, agents inside and outside the government begin executing it, hoping to score points with him if their gambits succeed.
The money is also perhaps the best evidence in recent years that Russian influence operations abroad involve not only Internet trolling and military adventurism but secretive financing as well.
If political leaders do not use Russian support while climbing up the ladder, then what necessity will they have to stay in the embrace of the Kremlin when they reach the highest echelons of power? They might still do, because of the ideological connectivity, but it won’t be the same when their political careers took booster shots from the Kremlin during their growth spurt.
These funding efforts are extremely important to help the right-wing movements grow around the world. Because they are still operating at the fringes of societies around the world. The right-wing in the United States is so loud and has enough size to stop legislation, but is it powerful enough for us to declare that they will win an election outright? Nope.
It is the same story in France, Germany, Great Britain, and large democracies around the world. Right-wing movements have not yet reached their adulthood. They need their global momentum to help their cause. Putin has now made it impossible for any right-wing movement in the world to ever get involved with the Kremlin.
It is over. So, whatever the way you slice the Putin-Tucker interview, it actually ends up as a devastating failure for Putin.
