There are many institutions of democracy that US president Donald Trump has attempted to undermine during his short time in office, including the judiciary and the independent press. He is governing by Twitter and by decree, like the budding autocrat he is.
“It’s the economy, stupid,” was behind Bill Clinton’s political success. With Russian president Vladimir Putin, it’s history, stupid.
Stories of Putin’s opponents threatened, gunned down, imprisoned and disappearing left and right are abundant in Moscow and beyond. Every time I go to Mother Russia, a friend or two are concerned about my safety. “How do you write what you write (ie. critically about Vladimir Putin), yet travel so freely?” they ask.
“Whom do we plan to invade?” Nikita Khrushchev asked during his inspection of a Moscow military base in Sep. 1964. “Nobody,” the Soviet leader, and my great-grandfather, said, answering his own question. He stared disapprovingly at the rows of tanks and rocket launchers.
