When a bedraggled Russian phoenix emerged from the Soviet ashes, Western pundits were divided. Would the new creature sink into chaos, as often seemed inevitable; or, with Western help, would it resurface as a diminished but coherent state? A decade later, when an energetic Vladimir Putin succeeded an ailing Boris Yeltsin, Russia-watchers were seduced by a different false binary. Some thought Mr Putin would press on with creating a law-based, outward-looking market system. Others expected corruption and criminality to keep Russia poor and weak.
The Economist: The enduring grip of the men—and mindset—of the KGB
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a live broadcast of the ceremony to load the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker Coral Anthelia at the Cryogas LNG plant located in the port of Vysotsk, on April 24, 2019 in Saint Petersburg.
