Putin Outwits US in Syria, Media Chalks It Down to His 'Autocratic Nature'

Unlike his Western counterparts, Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts his foreign policy rapidly, with a clear understanding of what he wants, Die Zeit writes, pointing to the Syrian situation. At the same time, the paper claims, Russia's successes can only be chalked down to Putin's 'authoritarianism'.

The "man of action" from Moscow took only three days to decide to begin the operation in Syria, while Barack Obama, the "slowpoke from Washington," took three years, Die Zeit columnist Michael Thumann suggests. Often, he adds, Moscow's speediness has allowed it to "catch the American superpower by surprise."

"Sometimes, speed seems to be the goal in and of itself: Vladimir Putin announced the partial withdrawal from Syria, and the same night begins to move out his troops."

"The Russian lesson in speedy foreign policy" Thumann notes, "began six months ago," when, in September 2015, "the Russian president marked the difference in tempo between democracy and autocracy. Barack Obama required three years for his intervention in Syria…Vladimir Putin [needed] just three days."

And while the journalist's claims about Russian 'autocracy' seem to indicate that he's living about 30 years in the past (Russia has been a functioning democracy, though not without its faults, for over two decades now), it's difficult to argue with his next assertion: that the Russian intervention in Syria, measured against those Washington has undertaken over the past 15 years, looks pretty good.

With the intervention turning the situation around for Assad and bringing the opposition to the negotiating table, "Putin went in quickly, and just as quickly, came out again. It looks like the perfect intervention, in contrast to the US missions in Iraq or Afghanistan."

"The slowpoke from Washington and the man of action from Moscow," Thumann writes, contrasting the American and Russian leaders' approach to foreign policy.

Spending the rest of his piece talking about the dangers of speedy and decisive foreign policy, and blaming Western sluggishness on democratic structures, the need to account for popular attitudes, discussion and criticism, the journalist refuses to accept the idea that maybe, Putin's policy is successful because it relies on reason, precision, careful calculation and planning. Nope, it must be because he's 'autocratic'…