I generally dislike "The New Yorker," but... (Putin)
 

http://www.michaelspecter.com/ny/200...9_kremlin.html

...this libertarian take on Russia by Specter is great. It's a nice summary of recent Russian political history.

A nice summary of events that I needed for some perspective on Politkovskaya's death. Knowing the history from a piece that is unafraid to show its liberal stripes is somewhat refreshing. Any educated person can decide for themselves if it's slanted, so why pretend? It was actually somewhat eerie reading the article to note the similarities to the V for Vendetta film.

I'm not sure if personal power is ultimately Putin's only goal, because he has indeed brought about change to many people, but he does seem too easily convinced to sacrifice those that stand in his way.

The death of free journalism in Russia is deplorable, but I suppose the only question that remains is-- how long will it take Russia's citizens to figure out they've been had?