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I think these examples are particularly well chosen. Putin and Mugabe are quasi-dictators running authoritarian states, and I don't even know the slightest bit
by bayesianhorse 11y ago
I think these examples are particularly well chosen. Putin and Mugabe are quasi-dictators running authoritarian states, and I don't even know the slightest bit about Haughey.
And Russia is arguably having quite a bit of trouble, economically, not even just because of the sanctions but because the general corruption in the country just doesn't allow for a sufficient retooling of the Russian economy. And the sanctions are a direct consequence of Putin not wanting to play by the rules and now being excluded from the game.
- hessenwolf 11y agoI think that Putin is the band-aid Russian needed ten years ago, but gone mouldy for a few years now. Mugabe, yes, initially wanted to redistribute the land wonderfully... didn't totally think that one through. I just mean to say that integrity and competence are not analogues.
- bayesianhorse 11y agoRussia didn't need an authoritarian state 10 years ago and didn't need one now. Putin never achieved anything without cutting down his opposition.
- hessenwolf 11y agoHow familiar with Russia are you, by the way? Maybe if we trade backgrounds, the conversation could proceed more interestingly... My contacts are mostly through my wife, so I hear it from St. Petersburg, North Ossetia, Georgia, and the Ukraine, with a slightly over-representative Jewish tint. I am none of the aforenamed.