The naming of Vladimir Putin as the Man or Person of the Year by Time magazine, made me think about the way he's built his image over the last several years. That isn't easy when you consider he's not the small talk type of guy, and he takes life pretty seriously.
Still, because he thinks of himself as an "embodiment" of Russia, what he portrays of himself outwardly, to him, is in direct correlation to what he thinks of Russia inwardly.
So to that effect, he's attempted to market Russia as a robust, emerging nation, rising from the dead. So far it has worked good for him, and the general Russian population likes him.
His challenge is whether the prices of commodities like oil and timber can remain high enough while he encourages the building of an entrepreneurial infrastructure for the nation, which isn't so dependent on a few natural resources.
It is interesting to see someone from that part of the world work with a scheme in mind to project the spirit of their country. Russia isn't exactly known for its sense of humor and skills at projecting a healthy image.
To a certain degree, Putin and his handlers have done pretty well at making him into a type of world celebrity. Not the type that you'd expect from the Western way of branding someone, but effective nonetheless.
With all his shortcomings and strong tactics being used to rule Russia, Putin hasn't been afraid to put himself in front of the world on his terms. It's actually kind of refreshing seeing the way it's so commonly done in the western world.
Making Putin the Man of the Year, probably won't do much to change anything, but it does reinforce Putin before the eyes of the world, in that he's brought Russia back to be a major player on the world scene, after a time where most didn't know if it was going to implode.
It's fascinating to see a different type of political celebrity. Putin is all of that!
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