Zhirinovsky and the Autumn of the Patriarch

The really disturbing aspect of the political situation in Russia is the absence of any worthwhile institution-building, any serious promotion of the concept of a law-governed state. Though the ideal of democracy is proclaimed by everyone on the political stage, not only is their understanding of what they mean by democracy confused and primitive, they invariably view their opponents as no less than enemies. The roots of the tragic events of October 1993 were precisely in the approach that an opponent is not only an opponent but a mortal enemy.