Good article. I would just add that Russia's geography has had an odd impact on its culture. It is close to Europe, so it has had to modernize to have the econ

Good article. I would just add that Russia's geography has had an odd impact on its culture. It is close to Europe, so it has had to modernize to have the economic and military strength to resist invasion. But it is so vast and hence hard to conquer that it could without going all the way and becoming a free market liberal democracy. So the country is always going back and forth between modernizing and returning to its authoritarian traditions.