"Russian hater?" [shrugs] Hate schmate. My Dad was born there. I don't hate the place. But I sure as hell don't want to see here turned into there.
Well, why would the West care whether Putin is making progress or not? Just because of the nuclear bomb thing? Contrary to the whole MAD philosophy the Established embraced for a while, everyone in the West (except maybe Laura Dern) has always known there's more to life than fear of bombs.
Until the society over there becomes, say, a little more productive than Peru -- to name just one benchmark -- they should be even more marginalized than they are.
Mark W.