That is what we are witnessing in Russia. Today’s vote by the Duma to extend the term-limits of Presidential terms from 4 years to 6 is only the latest symptom of the dictatorial disease gripping the former superpower.
The fact that it comes only a week after it was announced by the Russian president and coincides with the continual erosion of parliamentary procedures, the freedom of the press, an appalling human rights record and the ever greater suffering and hardship of the majority of the Russian people, demonstrates this.
Russia is now no better than during the pre-Yeltsin years and the world must stand up and be heard or live with the consequences of its silence.
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I would be very hesitant to agree that the Russia of today is as bad as it was during Soviet times.
I think it is far too easy to fall foul of the analytic pathology of mindset when interpreting the recent events in Russia by believing that a lack of democracy inevitably leads to misery (even if history seems to strongly support such a notion).
I strongly advise watching a recent special on Russia by the BBC's Panorama team.
"Many Russians see Putin as nothing less than their countries saviour. By contrast the West sees him as a stoney faced autocrat."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7690000/newsid_7694900/7694916.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&bbcws=1
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