Garry Kasparov: Putin is a bigger threat to the West than the Islamic State

Arguably the greatest chess player of all time, Garry Kasparov is on a new mission. He hopes to convince the world that the biggest threat to global unrest is not the Islamic State, al-Qaida or North Korea. Instead it is Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president from 2000 to 2008 and then again from 2012 to today. In an interview with Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga, Kasparov outlined his reasons for believing that Putin should be what keeps the world up at night. He also chided President Barack Obama for being too late in addressing Putin’s aggression in Ukraine — ultimately annexing Crimea.

We should forget about power in Russia changing hands throughout the election process. I’m afraid it will be not a very lawful process and it may eventually end up with the collapse of the country.

Garry Kasparov, speaking to Yahoo News and Finance Anchor Bianna Golodryga

While Kasparov views the president’s speech at the United Nations — calling Russia’s invasion into Ukraine and ideology of “might makes right” backward —he still believes that actions speak louder than words. Kasparov has extremely harsh words for what he views as European indifference to Putin’s actions, and he compares the world’s complacency with the lead-up to World War II. Kasparov calls the Islamic State militant group (also known as ISIL and ISIS) a diversion for the world to focus on. He finds it hypocritical that the U.S. and other Western allies have agreed to supply Syrian rebels opposed to IS, while refusing Ukraine’s similar request.

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