Jello wrote:

Russian democracy ended completely several years ago. Is there any doubt that Putin is El Presidente for life, and that the FSB will continue to take over more and more of the economy? The path has been clear for many years, and he has never strayed from it.

i am not sure u could say when Russian democracy ceased to exist or even whether it has as yet completely disappeared. It is like watching freedom slowly wither away -- the boiling frog -- i just have this image of a giant amoeba (like in the Blob) or a slime mould devouring the country in my head.
When Putin announces that he's changing the law so he's not obliged to step down, as he does at the moment, it will be interesting to see if more than a few people risk protesting. I know what I suspect will happen but I don't own a crystal ball. I remember in June 1989 sitting a politics exam and writing about the nationalist movements in Eastern Europe as an interesting political force but even a few months before the Berlin Wall came down I didn't seriously expect it to happen.
If people decide to protest on mass then the big question is will the army start shooting. My guess would be that if the people do stand up then the army won't shoot but i'm not gambling my life so it's easy to say comfortably from here.

RE: Masha Lipman - Russia's Hidden Power Struggle - washingtonpost.com

If Nyerere was Tanzania's headmaster and Mkapa was its management guru, Kikwete is its font of youthful energy - but a thoughtful one. He is Africa's Bill Clinton - driven by ideas, charismatic, clear minded, a communicator who likes nothing more than to step into a crowd and parley with it. A moderate Muslim in a dangerous neighborhood, he has become a favorite of President George W. Bush who has granted him the kind of access once reserved solely for Africa's big economic powers, Nigeria and South Africa.
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I have been covering Africa for 40 years. I have never been so impressed.

A new lodestar for Africa? - Opinion - International Herald Tribune

Russia is undergoing yet another round of election-rule tightening -- as usual, a product of the country's rubber-stamp legislature. The protesters see it as marking the "virtual elimination of the system of free elections" in Russia, as they said in their statement. Over the past two years, election rules have been repeatedly refashioned and readjusted so that no undesired forces or figures can slip through the process.

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One of the innovations of the new election bill is a ban on creating a "negative image" of political opponents. This is one way of depriving a campaign of any meaning whatsoever, as just challenging the policies of the incumbent authorities can now be interpreted as a violation of the law.

So while there is always a constituency that dutifully turns out on Election Day to vote "as the bosses say," a great many others will choose to stay home, since they assume their vote will make no difference.

Of course, a low turnout might call into question the legitimacy of the representative branch, but apparently the Kremlin thinks it can live with this image problem. Another provision of the new bill eliminates the minimum percentage turnout requirement for an election to be valid. The ruling elite thus largely reduces its power base to the core of Soviet-style voters who accept a no-choice vote -- while alienating the more advanced and entrepreneurial elements of the population.

Masha Lipman - Russia's Hidden Power Struggle - washingtonpost.com

Italian Mario Scaramella, a contact of dead ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko, has tested positive for polonium-210.

BBC NEWS | UK | Contact in positive polonium test

You know what really had me terrified on Nov. 7? The all-too-real possibility of a highly suspect result. What would we have done if the Republicans had held on to the House by a narrow margin, but circumstantial evidence strongly suggested that a combination of vote suppression and defective — or rigged — electronic voting machines made the difference?

When Votes Disappear - New York Times

Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko has died in hospital three weeks after apparently being poisoned in London.

University College Hospital, London, said Mr Litvinenko had died at 2121 GMT on Thursday and the cause of his condition was still being investigated.

Friends have said the 43-year-old was poisoned because of his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin - Russia has denied any involvement.

Scotland Yard said they were now investigating "an unexplained death".
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Mr Litvinenko had been investigating the murder of Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
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Before Mr Litvinenko's death, police said they suspected "deliberate poisoning".

Investigators are examining two meetings he had on 1 November - one at a London hotel with a former KGB agent and another man, and a later rendezvous with Italian security consultant Mario Scaramella at a sushi restaurant in London's West End.

BBC NEWS | UK | Ex-Russian spy dies in hospital

Over the next few months, I’m going to ask the presidential hopefuls the following question: What lessons do you draw from the Iraq experience about decision-making in the White House?

Building a Team of Rivals - New York Times

Walid Hassan, a star of a popular Iraqi television show known for its dark humor about the country's many problems, was shot to death while driving through Baghdad on Monday.
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Hassan, a Shiite in his 40's, was one of five actors in "Caricature," a 45-minute comedy satire on Al-Sharqiyah TV that did not hesitate to make fun of U.S. forces, Shiite militias, Sunni-Arab insurgent groups, and the chaotic Iraqi governments that have tried to rule this country since Saddam Hussain was overthrown in the 2003 invasion.
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Another actor on the show is Saad Khalifa, who also stars in "Hurry Up, He's Dead," a popular TV comedy that provides parody newscasts in an Iraqi version of "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

Fans mourn Iraqi comedian gunned down in Baghdad - iht,news,Iraq Killed Comedian - News & Features - International Herald Tribune

The genocide that started in Darfur in 2003 is now threatening to topple the governments of Chad and the Central African Republic. If these two countries collapse into chaos and civil war for years to come, then neighboring countries like Cameroon and Niger will be threatened as well — and the death toll triggered by the Darfur genocide will eventually number in the millions.

Boy’s Wish: Kill Them All - New York Times

UK police are investigating the alleged poisoning of a Russian former security agent and critic of President Vladimir Putin living in exile in Britain.

BBC NEWS | UK | Ex-KGB officer 'poisoned in UK'