So all in all, is Vladamir Putin a bad guy?

[Taverner]

Yes, he poisons dissidents, and works to undermine them at any cost

But he is making a better environmental record for Russia than the US, and he does get things done...

Then again, the trains 'ran on time' under Pinochet, Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Do I want to live under THAT? No.

[Bucky]

1. He isn't a Pinochet, much less a Stalin. But his efforts impede long term prospects for democracy

Still, it's useful to read a little Baron de Montesquieu now and then. The theory of how size of a nation impacts the type of government it needs is instructive. He said a small nation or city state could be a republic, but a medium sized country had to have a monarch and a large nation required a despot to hold together. The bigger the country, the more autocratic the leadership has to be.

This goes a long way toward explaining both post-Soviet Russia's drift toward authoritarianism and the US's own problem with irresponsible legislatures and the growth of the imperial presidency. Democracy just doesn't function that responsibly once you get a polity over the 10 million mark. California is in the crapper in large part because it's a country-sized state with a direct democracy system of legislation by referendum. Sorry, but 10 million voters are just not going to pass a responsible law code.

[Taverner]

3. Yes. You. Have. A. good. Point.

As much as I hate to admit it...

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. I'm only afraid of him when his giant floating head shoots laser beams at Alaskans.

[MilesColtrane]

4. His name is Vladamir fer chrissakes!

You know any nice Vladamirs?

[Taverner]

5. Vladimir Illyich Ulyanov - I mean he wasn't exactly nice, but not the devil he's been made out to be

[proteus_lives]

7. Lenin is responisble for many, many deaths.

His secret police killed thousands. He betrayed his own revolution.

People tend to whitewash him because he died early and because of Stalin.

[Flaxbee]

6. Yes, actually, one of my best friends is

named Vladimir.

Putin's alright. Not a saint, but he's done a hell of a lot more for Russia than Yeltsin did ... and the prosperous state of the country less than 10 years after a gigantic collapse (1989 - 1999) does tend to put his actions in a positive light.

[Sky Masterson]

8. Ask Barbara Walters

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5997536

[Kaleva]

9. "Yes, he poisons dissidents..."

[cherokeeprogressive]

10. But...

:eyes:

[RandomThoughts]

11. Based on what I have seen in the news, I would have to say...

LOL

Nevermind, how would we know?

Shrug

[Captain Hilts]

12. Russia is a LONG way from having a better environmental record. than the US. nt