Repeating his comment. If he was banned because of this comments, then ban me too. <quote> > Putin is the head of a "virtual mafia state" And what was Russia

Repeating his comment. If he was banned because of this comments, then ban me too. <quote> > Putin is the head of a "virtual mafia state" And what was Russia the year before Putin became head of it? It's not like corruption came in with Putin. Most Russians I know think Putin has lowered the amount of corruption, and I agree. Russia was so corrupt it was barely functioning under Yeltsin. You're correct there is significant corruption in the government, but amazingly there was even more corruption before Putin came in. > eternal dream of Russia as a global hegemon on par with the United States Russia's GDP is one eighth of the US's. It's ratio was even lower back in 1917. Who thinks this? Not even Zhirinovsky thinks this is realistic. > The Russian state has assassinated journalists Then you link to a list of journalists killed by persons in Russia. Where's the link? Who killed Chauncey Bailey in the US in 2007? Who killed Dona St. Plite? Who killed Manuel de Dios Unanue? Scores of journalists in the US have been killed who did not agree with the government foreign policy on Haiti, on Vietnam etc. > and jailed political opponents with impunity How about Manning? They want to extradite Snowden. Lynne Stewart is in jail. American jails are filled with political opponents. Oh, they broke the law? Well that's what they say in Russia too. </quote>