[marron]

Proportional party system is present in many Western democratic countries, so is the practice of central government nominating local autorities

You are right, I am familiar with appointed governors from latin america. It has been fairly common. It guarantees that local government answers to the ruling party rather than the locals. The dispensation of tax revenues from the center rather than local governments having their own tax base is also common, and has the same effect, the locals have almost no voice in their local government, even where they do elect them directly. The result is that local problems have to become national problems before anyone pays attention; it is a guarantee for instability.

But in explaining that to latin americans they always tell me that what works in rich countries (federalism) won't work in corrupt, poor ones... And maybe they are right, what do I know?

I tend, as I have said, to give Putin the benefit of the doubt. And I know that the road to good government does not always follow a straight line, it zigs and zags sometimes. Chile had to go through a Pinochet to get to stable democracy. Maybe Putin is Russia's Pinochet. Maybe his zigs will be followed by a zag. Or maybe we are seeing the beginning of one long zig. If Putin wants to declare war on the mafia and the muslim killers, more power to him. If he is merely consolidating power in order to build a free Russia, then history will absolve him.

But the spotlight is on him, and even his friends are watching, to see if Putin is friend or foe. I hope you are right and Luis is wrong.

[Luis Gonzalez]

"If he is merely consolidating power in order to build a free Russia, then history will absolve him."

He outta check with Fidel...he's got 45 years worth of practice in consolidating power in order to build a free Cuba; history will acknowledge him as the world's longest running dictator.

[A. Pole]

But in explaining that to latin americans they always tell me that what works in rich countries (federalism) won't work in corrupt, poor ones

Not all rich countries had federal system - France is quite centralised. And there are poor countries with federal system like Brazil and India. United States federal model cannot and should not be made mandatory for the whole world. Different countries had different needs and refining of the American model through the Civil War is very expensive.

[FITZ]

Franco in Spain prepared the people to have a democracy but he was a dictator. You're right -- it doesn't seem like many democracies spring up on their own like here in the USA.