Global Studies expert on Putin’s struggle to rebuild the USSR

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - UC Santa Barbara Professor Mark Juergensmeyer may have semi-retired from teaching Sociology, Global Studies and Religious Studies in the program he founded, but he is not closing the history book on the current chapter of warfare in Europe.

"Putin has been building up his, both reputation and his power, to be a new "Stalin," a new leader of Russia like the old USSR days," Juergensmeyer told News Channel 3-12. "Being a former, high-ranked intelligence officer, Putin regrets the falling and collapse of the empire of the USSR. In his own way he wants to rebuild it."

Reporter/Anchor Beth Farnsworth talked to Juergensmeyer Wednesday via Zoom. He said Putin and Russian troops are stunned at the resistance they've encountered during their invasion of Ukraine.

"Even in the Russian-speaking areas, people are fighting back."

The Interim Director of the Orphalea Center for Global and Int'l Studies at UCSB pointed out Russia's key weaknesses and brute strength.

"The troops themselves simply have not shown the will, determination or organization quite frankly, to mount a very effective ground war. The only thing that Putin is effective in is just bombing the hell out of people which is the one thing, unfortunately, their army does well."

While Juergensmeyer did not want to delve into Putin's sanity or psychology, he did say that the Russian leader is "certainly driven" and self-anointed to rebuild the former empire. And, Ukraine -- meaning "the boundary" or "the borderlands" -- is a big part of that.

"If you look on a map, you can see the problem: half of Ukraine is surrounded by Europe, half of Ukraine is surrounded by Russia. That's the problem."

He touched on the fact that people are coming from a growing number of countries to help defend Ukraine, and not just those from neighboring regions.

"It's a remarkable thing. Americans, Canadians, all around the world. It's kind of reminiscence of the Spanish Civil War, you know, where freedom fighters from around the world came to join the cause."

He pointed out that Hemingway fans and those who've read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" know, tragically, that the end of Spanish conflict did not end well for a lot of volunteers.

"And of course war is a horrible, messy business and I'm sure the people who join it as volunteers to be, will discover. And yet, there is something poignant and even admirable, noble about these people volunteering to join the struggle."

While Juergensmeyer did not dive into the psychology of Putin he said Russia's leader is certainly a "driven" person. And, someone who he said is impervious to any kind of advice outside of his circles.

"I think that's one of the main problems with Putin. He's so insulated. And he has sealed himself off from any kind of advice, even from his own inner-circle. And he listens only to intelligence that's been predigested and been sanitized for his purpose that he really doesn't know what's going on in the world and he thinks he has much more power than he has and that is really a very dangerous thing."

The Global Studies expert said the Russian leader still has a lot to lose but unfortunately, is not there yet.

"He could certainly lose credibility, he could be mired down in a war in Ukraine that could last for decades as it did in Afghanistan or with Chechnya. He could zap the resources. Already the resources of Russia have been zapped. It's a very fragile economy."

Juergensmeyer also said Putin also believes he has a lot to gain in re-establishing USSR and the whole Soviet empire.

"Whether he would be venerated by a compromise where you could lop off, say, parts of the eastern section of Ukraine -- the Russian speaking areas -- and work out a deal where they would then become a part of Russia and then, leave the European Ukraine to be Ukraine, whether he would be mollified with that kind of solution, I don't know."

The man who has studied wars and conflicts throughout the world said he is awed by the way people are opening their hearts and homes to the Ukrainian refugees. However, he wished the same had happened for Syrians, Afghans, Haitians, El Salvadorans, Guatemalans and others fleeing war over the years.

"Refugees are refugees. War is war. Hell is hell. And people need to be welcomed when they're fleeing the most horrible of circumstances and I'm glad we're doing that with Ukraine. I just wish our hearts were greater when it came to other parts of the world."