The lack of competition has progressively drained public interest in politics, and the lineup of presidential contenders for 2018 can hardly cause any excitement.
“A long and dangerous confrontation caused strong public fear of a big war,” he said, adding that Trump’s victory eased those fears and softened a negative public perception of the U.S.
Putin is still riding the wave of patriotic fervor fueled by the annexation of Crimea, Gudkov said, and most Russians still see him as irreplaceable despite brewing discontent over the economy and official corruption.
In the absence of any real rivals, Putin’s political consultants are looking for other …read more
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
