AzariLoveIran wrote:There's no alternative to Putin right now
You're right there is none.
But the very fact that there is none is the problem...
This situation is the result of three factors:
- The chaos of the 1990s, improperly branded "Democracy" (it was not), and supported by US & many Western European governments, caused much suffering among Russians, which to this day gives democracy a bad name among some. I reckon: not the majority of Russians, though
- Lack of culture and experience of stable bipolar systems in Russia leading to difficulty to organize one and fear that a bipolar system would not be stable...
this is IMO the most important factor
- Present government making it more difficult to organize worthy alternatives to itself, through behind-the-curtains support of Communist (Zyuganov) and wacko-Nationalist (Jirinovski) which "occupy the field" of opposition while being unelectable, and through specific rules like minimum of 7% votes to get MPs in Parliament. However, Russian government is not doing anything fundamentally different on this than what US / Western European governments also do...
Political stability in Russia is probable in the 2012-2024 timeframe (two more Putin mandates, extended now to six years)
After 2024... everything will depend on ability of Russia to finally get a real bipolar system in place