Vladimir Putin Is All About Authoritarianism And Cronyism With Corruption Thrown In For Good Measure

There is no way to deny the analysis by Orlando Figes, Professor of History, Birkbeck, University of London is spot-on when it comes to Vladimir Putin.

Vladimir Putin’s return is a non-event in the sense that he never went away. Russia has been ruled by Putinism for the past 12 years.

It looks set for another dozen years of authoritarianism, cronyism, systematic corruption, and dangerous political drift at a time of mounting problems for Russia.

The demonstrations don’t yet represent a serious challenge to Putin’s political authority, let alone a revolutionary situation.

The opposition is neither large nor organised enough to force real change. But there is a widespread feeling that things cannot go on as they were.

It is especially strong among the professional classes. This is an important psychological turning-point, which could lead to a revolutionary situation if the system fails to introduce reforms.

The new Putin government will continue to be jittery about possible “Orange Revolution” scenarios.