Mike Nova comments:
Mr. Putin, If you believe that whatever you say and do is so true, correct and convincing, why do you need to pay millions of dollars to public relations firms (almost two million dollars were paid to Ketchum just in the first half of this year) when so many people in Russia go plain hungry? Maybe this money would be better spent on establishing more soup kitchens in Russia and feeding the poor? Or do you not really believe that it is true, correct and convincing and prefer to influence and buy public opinion abroad to exercise "soft power" rather than to take care of your own people?
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PATRICK CHAPPATTE
A Russian Take on Syria
Patrick Chappatte
Patrick Chappatte
Published: September 13, 2013 Putin takes center stage.
What Vladimir Putin didn't tell the American people about Syria
Russia's leader poses as a champion of the rule of law in a New York Times op-ed, but his record as Assad's backer is shameful
President Putin should give more credit to his audience: Russia will be judged by its actions, both on the international arena and domestically. So far, Russia has been a key obstacle to ending the suffering in Syria. A change towards a more constructive role would be welcome. But a compilation of half-truths and accusations is not the right way to signal such a change.
• This article was originally published on Human Rights Watch's Dispatches blog and is crossposted by kind permission
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Vladimir Putin wrote 'basic content' of New York Times op-ed, spokesman says
Russian president's article, which took a swipe at Obama over Syria, was pitched to the Times by pro-Russian firm Ketchum
Putin's comments caused consternation among politicians and commentators in the United States. Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the foreign relations committee, said on CNN he "almost wanted to vomit" when he read the op-ed at dinner on Wednesday. The article "really raises the questions of how serious this Russian proposal is," Menendez said.
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Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times, confirmed that it was Ketchum who approached the newspaper. A spokeswoman for Ketchum said she could not comment on the op-ed but that the company would be providing a written statement later.
According to a Department of Justice filing published by ProPublica, Ketchum was under contract with the Russian Federation to promote "Russia as a place favorable for foreign investments". The contract was extended late last year, and ProPublica reported that the PR firm received $1.9m from Russia in the first half of 2013.
"The opinion piece was written by President Putin and submitted to the New York Times on his behalf by Ketchum for their consideration," Ketchum said in a statement to the Guardian.
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Putin unveiled a new foreign policy document in February that named soft power and economic diplomacy the new top priorities of Russia's relations with the world. The country would "develop its own effective means of information influence on public opinion abroad," the document stated.
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Putin unveiled a new foreign policy document in February that named soft power and economic diplomacy the new top priorities of Russia's relations with the world. The country would "develop its own effective means of information influence on public opinion abroad," the document stated.
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Stephen Crowley/The New York TimesSpeaker John A. Boehner shared a candid moment with reporters Thursday regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin’s op-ed in The New York Times about Syria.
WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner said he was “insulted” byPresident Vladimir V. Putin of Russia’s op-ed article in Thursday’s New York Times.
In the article, Mr. Putin questioned President Obama’s justification for seeking military action against Syria and implored the White House, “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.”
Asked what he thought of Mr. Putin’s words, Mr. Boehner told reporters on Thursday, “It’s probably why I’ve suggested I have doubts about the motives of the Russians and Assad,” referring to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
Because his first answer was so brief, he was asked again what he thought more candidly. He responded, “I was insulted.”
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LETTERS - NYT
Putin’s Plea: Sampling the Reviews
Published: September 12, 2013
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U.S. public-relations firm helps Putin make his case to America - Reuters
WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - In April 2011, then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was asked an unusually flattering question by an American journalist: "Are you the coolest man in politics?"
The interview, which ran on the website of Outdoor Life magazine, was set up by Ketchum Inc., the U.S. public-relations firm that has worked to burnish Russia's image since 2006.
On Thursday, Ketchum scored another public-relations coup: It helped place a Putin commentary in opinion pages of The New York Times, just as representatives from Russia and the United States were beginning to meet in Geneva to negotiate a plan for Syria to give up its chemical weapons.
The article made quite a splash in Washington. Putin painted himself as a peacemaker and lectured the United States for what he said was a tendency to use "brute force" in world disputes. U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said he was "insulted" by the article, while the White House noted that Putin was taking advantage of press freedoms unavailable in Russia.
Ketchum, a division of the Omnicom Group Inc., has earned more than $25 million working for Russia, according to documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice. It also has been paid more than $26 million since 2007 to promote Gazprom, Russia's state-owned gas company.
In 2007, Ketchum successfully lobbied Time magazine to name Putin its "Person of the Year," according to U.S. Justice Department lobbying disclosure filings that show repeated meetings between Ketchum representatives and Time staffers.
"He expanded his outsize - if not always benign - influence on global affairs," Time wrote of Putin.
Meanwhile, Ketchum staffers urged the State Department to soften its assessment of Russia's human-rights record that year, according to lobbying records. The company has also reached out to reporters who have written articles chronicling Russian human-rights abuses.
Russia's efforts to boost its image in U.S. media outlets have come as the country has cracked down on human rights at home.
Ketchum also has encouraged reporters, including those at Reuters, to write about Russian trade summits, technology companies, golf and wrestling, as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
In response to questions from Reuters, Ketchum replied with a general statement, saying that its work with the Russian government has focused on "facilitating the relationship between representatives of the Russian Federation and the Western media and creating a broader dialogue."
'QUITE APPALLING'
Putin, who started his career in the KGB, was Russia's president from 2000 to 2008, returning to the office last year after four years as prime minister.
Since then, Russia has passed laws that, to many in the United States, have seemed to echo policies from the Soviet era of rigid government control of citizens' daily lives - and that have created public-relations challenges for Ketchum, Russia's promoter in America.
Putin's return has brought laws that restrict public protests, limit nongovernmental groups and make it easier for authorities to censor the Internet in Russia.
Russian media outlets have been pressured to fire editors and reporters who criticize the government, according to the U.S. State Department.
Anna Neistat, an associate director at Human Rights Watch, questioned whether it was appropriate for a U.S. company to advance the interests of a client that restricts human rights at home.
"An American company that does operate in a fairly free democratic society should probably think twice before supporting something like that," Neistat said. "From a personal perspective, I of course find it quite appalling."
Ketchum has done substantial work for the U.S. government, and came under some criticism in 2004 for producing prepackaged news stories that did not disclose that they were government-funded.
Ketchum also has faced criticism for placing pro-Russian opinion pieces by seemingly independent writers in a range of U.S. media outlets, according to ProPublica, an investigative news organization.
Other Ketchum clients have included FedEx, Absolut , Mattel and Sony.
AN 'APPROPRIATE ACTIVITY'
Foreign governments are a substantial business for U.S. lobbying and public-relations companies, industry analysts say, and there's nothing illegal about representing countries that have less-than-stellar human-rights records as long as the companies provide detailed reports of their activities to the U.S. government.
"This is a very appropriate activity, and one that helps advance peace and justice," said Roger Bolton, president of the Arthur W. Page Society, an association of public-relations executives.
"When public relations firms advise clients, they invariably advocate for the importance of listening to and accommodating others' views," he added.
That appeared to be part of the goal of Putin's opinion piece in The New York Times.
Putin said the Syria crisis had prompted him to "speak directly to the American people and their personal leaders," but the article seemed to anger key parts of his audience.
Putin said the United States should work through the United Nations to respond to a chemical attack in Syria last month that the United States said had killed more than 1,400 people. Putin's article did not mention that Russia has blocked the United Nations from taking action against Syria, an ally of Russia.
Putin suggested that Syrian rebels, rather than the government of President Bashar al-Assad, were responsible for the chemical attack. Putin challenged President Barack Obama's assertion that the United States, as an "exceptional" nation, had a responsibility to take action against Assad for using chemical weapons.
"It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional," Putin wrote.
That drew a sharp response from the White House.
"Russia offers a stark contrast that demonstrates why America is exceptional. Unlike Russia, the United States stands up for democratic values and human rights in our own country and around the world," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
While, Boehner, the top Republican in Washington, said he was "insulted" by Putin's article, other U.S. lawmakers also weighed in with biting criticism.
Several foreign-policy analysts questioned whether Russia's efforts through Ketchum were worth the money.
"Russia pours lots of money into these arrangements, all aimed at dealing with an image problem in the West. But it's unclear to me if there's much return on investment," said Andrew Weiss, a Russia specialist who served under presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush.
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» Vladimir Putin: arch manipulator with a mission to check US will | Observer profile
15/09/13 04:38 from World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk
The Russian president has been vilified for his stance on Syria, but his manoeuvres over American foreign policy indicate his astuteness – and cunning – as a statesmanIn novelist Victor Pelevin's pungent satire on contemporary Russia, Th...
» In Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ... - Washington Post
14/09/13 23:15 from Russia - Google News
Washington PostIn Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ...Washington PostMOSCOW — First, Vladimir Putin accused Hillary Rodham Clinton of inciting protests against him at the end of 2011. The next fall...
» Vladimir Putin: arch manipulator with a mission to check US will | Observer profile
15/09/13 04:38 from World news: Russia | guardian.co.uk
The Russian president has been vilified for his stance on Syria, but his manoeuvres over American foreign policy indicate his astuteness – and cunning – as a statesmanIn novelist Victor Pelevin's pungent satire on contemporary Russia, Th...
» In Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ... - Washington Post
14/09/13 23:15 from Russia - Google News
Washington PostIn Russia, politics and nationalist pride are the basis of Putin's anti ...Washington PostMOSCOW — First, Vladimir Putin accused Hillary Rodham Clinton of inciting protests against him at the end of 2011. The next fall...
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