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We're talking about Russia right? Not North Korea?

• alexasmyths 9y ago
  Russia does not have open elections. Political opposition figures, business figures and members of the press are murdered or imprisoned arbitrarily. Media networks and large businesses are arbitrarily confiscated. Primary media channels are direct forms of state propaganda. State agencies are deeply systematically corrupt - always in the control of the friends of Putin, taking massive kickbacks, using state power to force deals. Sochi is a good example of how these shennanigans work. See the CBC expose on Sochi construction - kickbacks were up to 85% on construction (i.e. state pays $500M for a building, most of it goes back to the buyer, a 'friend of Putin'), and 15% goes into actual construction. So it's not 'North Korea' but it's not a normal democracy, not by a stretch.
  • tertius 9y ago
    Ah, so a corrupt democracy.
    • alexasmyths 9y ago
      Classifications are so hard. One could surely argue that America's democracy is somewhat corrupted as well. I guess it's all a matter of manner and degree :)