I really don’t think Putin is communist. I think he’s an autocrat, for sure. I’m not disputing that. His policies are surely not democratic. He seems to be more of a czar type, rather than a communist Premier. In time we’ll see, but Putin may be the best thing FOR RUSSIA right now. He’s made alliances with the Russian orthodox church, which certainly couldn’t be a bad thing, considering the communists tried to stamp out religion. Whether it’s for political purposes or not, doesn’t matter. I for one find myself at odds (as usual) with the main stream media; I don’t care about the Russian anti-gay propaganda law. In fact, it’s probably good. Not to say i want to see it here in America...
I see Putin as a transitionary figure.
Russia wasn’t quite ready for American-style Democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union, it just simply is not a concept in their political DNA.
It will take generations for the Russian people to overcome 70+ years of centralized Bolshevik rule, and centuries of Czarist rule before that.
But the alternative to someone like Putin, is political chaos, as in Italy.