Russia is evolving toward a liberal democracy, but the process still is very difficult. Putin is not stopping that process, but he is correcting it. He is extremely popular in Russia because he is correcting it and because he is continuing it. He has been an effective leader.
During the Yeltsyn years, much of Russia’s natural resources become the personal possession of a small number of of individual manipulators of the market. They were not like the Rockefellers of US economic history, who had developed new resources, methods and institutions over the course of several decades. Rather, these manipulators in Russia appeared from nowhere and took over in about five years an enormous infrastructure and enormous wealth that the Soviet Union had developed during seven decades. Furthermore, these individuals who seized this enormous wealth evaded paying their due taxes to the Russian government.
Putin corrected that problem to a great extent. There still are problems and injustices, but the Russian economy has been growing strongly and steadily during the Putin era because the profitable exploitation of the country’s enormous natural resources are being taxed more effectively because of Putin’s accomplishments.
The Russians perceive that Putin has put the country on the right track in combating corruption, crime and terrorism. He has acted decisively, has gone on the offensive and has asserted control. Sure, there is much to criticize. Most importantly, however, he is a leader who is willing to tackle these problems and to accept the consequences.
Russia’s actions in Georgia follow that mode of decisive leadership. If Russia is in South Ossetia on a peacekeeping mission, then Russia will control that situation. If necessary, Russia might break some rules and might strike with overwhelming brutality, but the immediate goal is to establish law and order and the ultimate goal is to evolve toward liberal democracy.
Georgians became too impatient and confrontational with Russia in this situation. Georgia needed to cooperate with Russia by ruthlessly suppressing its own Georgian radicals who were continuing a dirty war that has been continuing for the past 15 years. That strong cooperation on the Georgian side would have been matched by the Russians on the Ossetian side. And then a peaceful resolution still would have been possible, but that process might have lasted a generation or two.
The overall historical tendencies in Russia are still positive. The issues are discussed and debated freely and then decisions are made by voting, and so in the long run the best arguments will prevail.
The USA still can and should cooperate with Russia, and so should Georgia.
