Putin, the Pope, and the Patriarch
The historic meeting between Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Cuba will not only be an opportunity to heal one of the oldest divisions in Christianity. For Russian President Vladimir Putin, it will be an occasion to project his country's influence at a time when it is being battered by oil prices and sanctions.
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NEW YORK – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s years as a KGB officer taught him how to take advantage of others. In Steven Lee Myers’ excellent new biography, The New Tsar, the former New York Times Moscow bureau chief describes how, when Putin was posted in East Germany in the waning years of communism, he used his opponent’s weaknesses to advance the Soviet cause.