The pogrom and the putsch have
given way to PR. Yanukovych has hired lobbyists and public relations
teams to help him project a progressive image while he quietly squeezes
the press and rejiggers election laws to guarantee his party permanent
rule.
Los Angeles Times: PR firms and nice suits hide authoritarian intentions of Yanukovych
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is the model of a new kind of power-grabbing authoritarian. Gone is the preening, bullying fascist in a comical military costume, like Hitler or Mussolini. Mao’s jacket and Fidel Castro’s combat fatigues are out of fashion. Today, it is all business. Today, Stalin would be wearing Hugo Boss or Brooks Brothers, his mustache would be shaved off and he, like Yanukovych, would look like any chief executive flying business class.