1.Russia is a third world nation... and the only reason it is not treated as such is because it has aging nuclear weapons
2.
Russia is poor because it has a horrible government that is corrupt and intrusive. Its laws are leftovers from the Soviet days. The rate of reform in Russia has been slow and so most of the problems Russia has are not due to reform but the slow pace of reform.
3.Russian politics is dominated by the same people who drove the Soviet Union into the ground. What would make anyone think the same people would be able to run a slightly freer country?
4.The Russian government is more unpredictable than any other government short of North Korea (a close Russian "friend")
5.Russia has mishandled the situation in Chechnya.
6.Russia is not a free state. You should know that from visiting there. You have to get a stamp everywhere you travel in the country and if you do not have your passport with you, you can be arrested... even if you are Russian. Of course
you could also just pay the cop ... that is usually why he is asking for your passport anyway.
7.Putin is a leftover from the Soviet era. He has the same thought patterns. Sure he is better than Yeltsen.. but not by much. It is funny that he was lecturing Tony Blair on democracy. Like Putin would know what democracy was if it came up and bit him on the a@ss.
8.Putin is a hypocrite. There are just too many examples of his hypocracy to list here.
9.What has happened in Chechnya is not a black and
white issue. Both sides are equally horrible. There is just no way to equate Chechnya with the war on terrorism... like Putin has worked so hard to do.
10. Putin is the Sharon of Russia. He has done more to inflame the situation than to solve it. Also human life is not important to him. He has demonstrated that all too well... even with Russian lives.