Lydia Pelzer

Mr. Newman
English 101: Rhetoric
18 September 2014

Statement of Scope for the Annotated Bibliography

Power has lead to many debates over the years. In the book, Divergent, one theme that is
very prevalent is the theme that power can corrupt. The Erudites use the power that they get from
their knowledge to turn the Dauntless into mindless robots. There have been many example of
how power corrupts in the authentic world. Vladimir Putin of Russia is the most recent example.
He has used his power to try and gain what does not belong to him. Power is a commodity that
can be disposed unchallenged or seized, but unless the individual has checks along the way,
power can fabricate any person to metamorphose into a corrupt individual.
In this paper I will show how Putin has been using his power to gain things for his own
personal empire. I will discuss how Putin tries to rationalize the seizing of the Crimea by
saying that the Crimea belongs to Russia. Putin said that seizing the Crimea would keep it under
Russian control and keep all of Ukraine from joining NATO. I will discuss how the opposition of
Putin says that Putin has overstepped his bounds and he needs to back off. Putin decided that a
visit in the middle of August to the Crimea would be a great time to smooth things over and state
his reasons why he has taken over the Crimea. Putin calls himself a peacemaker but the
opposition says that Putin is trying to make him image superior.Though Putin says he can take
the Crimea, the opposition says that taking the Crimea by force violates innumerable laws and
treaties that are honored around the world. Putins idea that he can clean up his image by trying
to legitimize his takeover is defeating its purpose. Putin can be stopped in his desire for
conquering other countries for his empire. When Putin besieged Georgia in 2008, the West
was able to stop him through diplomacy. Putin then decided to try the Crimea, the West realized
that Putin was playing by the rules of a new game. Putin is playing by the Russian rules, not the
Soviet rules of attaining countries. Putin is also using his power to try and make the United
States his enemy,in order to pose as an authentic complication to the regular life in the world.
This selected bibliography includes sources that address the problems that occurred based
on Putins desire to show off his power and how the world responded as a whole. This will also
show how Putin was drunk with power. The articles written in the Hattiesburg American and by
Stephen J. Hadley and Damon Wilson clearly show that Putin is trying to gain the attention of
the world by baiting the West and flexing his muscles by taking over the Crimea. The articles
written by Trudy Rubin and Paul Goble show how Putin is trying to say that he has every right to
take over the Crimea and show that the world thinks that Putin has violated so many rules with
this move. The final article from the Ukrainian Weekly, published on September 14,2008, shows
that Putin is willing to use aggressive moves to get what he wants and even though the West is
appalled by the actions of Putin, they have made little or no moves to stop the advancing horde

of Russian troops. Action needs to be taken against Putin in order to stop his thirst for too much
power overtakes him.

Annotated Bibliography
Anonymous. "Russia and its wary neighbors" ["Russia and its wary neighbors"]. Ukrainian
Weekly 14 Sept. 2008, Notes from the homeland: 6. elibrary. Web. 14 Sept. 2014. . This source

shows that Russia is willing to flex its muscles to show the world that Russia is still powerful.
Russia hates the world and wants to show that the world should fear Russia. Putin is going to
great means to prove he is powerful. No one is stopping him.
Goble, Paul. "'Putin's visit seeks to legitimize Russia's occupation of Crimea.'" ["'Putin's visit
seeks to legitimize Russia's occupation of Crimea.'"]. Ukrainian Weekly 24 Aug. 2014: 6.
elibrary. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. This source says that Putin wants to try and say he is in the right
when it comes to his invasion of the Crimea. He says he is making peace and that this invasion
should not be a problem. The Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry says that Russia has no claim to
the Crimea at all. There seems to be no solution to this problem.
Hadley, Stephen J., and Damon Wilson. "Putin's long game" ["Putin's long game"]. The
Washington Post 4 Mar. 2014, Editorial: A 17. elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. In this source, it is
stated that Putin is trying to make a new Soviet Union, but through the use of a Russian model,
not a Soviet model. Putin is acting as though no one can stop him and that he will keep going.
The efforts to stop the Russian advance have been too weak, as there has been no effort behind
the efforts.
Anonymous. "On Russia, Crimea, Ukraine: Is it back to the future for Putin?" ["On Russia,
Crimea, Ukraine: Is it back to the future for Putin?"]. Hattiesburg American [Hattiesburg] 2 Apr.
2014: 7. elibrary. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. This source shows how Putin is trying to make his
obsession with power seem like nothing. Putin is living in the past even though he denies it. The
people of Russia are not buying what Putin is saying and he is mad at them. Also, Putin says the
United States is responsible for most of the problems Russia has now.
Rubin, Trudy. "If Putin's actions in Ukraine aren't an invasion, then what is?" ["If Putin's actions
in Ukraine aren't an invasion, then what is?"]. The Philadelphia Inquirer 8 Sept. 2014, Editorial:

n. pag. elibrary. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. In this editorial, the claim that Putin made of no Russian
presence in Ukraine is called out. Putin says that he is not ordering troops to go over to Ukraine
and take control of it. The facts are clear: Putin is lying to cover up his need for power.