Judged by many of the yardsticks of success he set before his first presidential race in March 2000, however, Mr. Putin has often faltered. But it developed none of the diversity beyond oil and gas or freedom from corruption that Mr. Putin repeatedly promised. That is better than the decline of 3.7 percent last year but still a threat to what had been Mr. Putin’s contract with his people: rising prosperity in return for obedience. But He Has a Seductive PopularityWhile never a fan of Mr. Putin — “I was sure a guy who served in the K.G.B. “All Western politicians that define themselves as out of the mainstream tend to have positive views of Russia and Putin,” he said.

Source: New York Times September 10, 2016 23:03 UTC