[rzhikharevich]

Not quite sure about easterners. At least most Russians seem to have entrusted a certain former KGB agent :)

[medo-bear]

i dont think voting for someone into leadership is equivalent to thinking they are nice, good, trustworthy, etc. it could be as simple as no better alternative

[onedognight]

There is no ‘voting’ when the government controls the media and any opposition gaining momentum is inevitably jailed, poisoned or falls out a window.

[medo-bear]

or when there was you just bomb the parliament [0] except that time the west fully supported this brutality. selective democracy?

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Russian_constitutional_cr...

[avgcorrection]

GP said that it’s a dictatorship. Now you imply that they chose Putin. Which is it?

[CoastalCoder]

Not sure the GP had this mind, but if Putin won a free election before becoming an autocrat, that would satisfy both constraints.

[medo-bear]

I think the difference is this

Russian Government: We will bomb X because they pose a threat to Russia's interests

American Government: We will bomb X because they need freedom

[kevin_thibedeau]

He had already been appointed to a position where he had the power to rig his first election.

[avgcorrection]

At what point does the democractic mandate run out? He’s been in power for a awhile.