To paraphrase Pravda in 1929, Putin is the Stalin of today. Nobody since Stalin’s death has achieved such longevity or uncontested power over Russia as Putin has. Nevertheless, tomorrow he may be remembered as the Brezhnev of today, for he has presided over a galloping stagnation of the economy and public morality. At the same time, like many former Russian leaders – including Brezhnev, Stalin, and Nicholas I – he seeks to imprison Russia in a straightjacket of repression and mandated official thinking that glorifies autocracy and Russian state nationalism.
OP-ED
Stephen Blank: How history will remember Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) answers questions at the Gostiny Dvor studio during the annual "Direct Line with Vladimir Putin broadcast live" by Russian TV channels and radio stations in Moscow on June 15.
