Czar Putin?

          Vladamir Putin is a man who stands out as a "god" to the people of Russia, like their leaders from generations ago. Nearly everyone in Russia--87%--loves him. In the article, Czar Putin?, by Patricia Smith, Smith describes how Putin turned the Russian economy around, and improved the lives of many Russian people.   But she also tells how Putin acts like he is the best, he can win any challenge. He does this by posing with tigers, showing off his ability at doing Jui-jitsu and riding on horses shirtless.
          Since he became President in 1999, however, Vladimir Putin has worked to create more power for himself than any other leader of Russia.  As Smith reports, he passed laws controlling the media, he cracked down on anybody that tried to demonstrate against his government, a few years ago he even jailed three members of a female punk rock band for making anti-Putin songs. Finally, in 2008, he was not allowed to run for a third term of presidency. So instead, he appointed himself prime minister and "called all the shots from behind the scenes." In other words, the no third term presidency in Russia didn't stop Putin from still being in charge.
         Outside of Russia, people are worried about Putin.  They see him as another dictator, or "Czar", in a long line of Russian dictators.  He invaded and took over a neighboring country, Crimea and has threatened other countries.  He has wrecked relations with Europe and the United States. I think what the author, Patricia Smith, is saying is that even though the term "Czar" is no longer used in Russia, Vladamir Putin is acting and ruling the country like one.  He, in many ways, controls all of Russia like an absolute dictator.
         After reading this article I wonder what Putin is going to do next. Will he back off from confronting Europe and the United States? Will he allow freedoms again in his own country. Right now, according Patricia Smith' s article, Putin had his back against the wall. The economy is bad again and Europe and the United States have made sanctions against Russia.  If he doesn't back down, what will he do? Smith quotes a Russian member of the opposition party as saying he's afraid Putin will get more aggressive. Like a bully who is being confronted, Putin may end up getting more aggressive and try to intimidate Europe, the U.S. and the world.