General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRussia is an autocratic kleptocracy.
Kleptocracy is defined as "government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed". That defines Russia probably moreso than any other country in the world. They exist for the purpose of enriching their oligarchs and their leader, Vladimir Putin.
But there is a huge price to pay with kleptocracies. The psychology of stealing spreads like a virus throughout their society, especially amongst their military. They have no discipline and believe they have the right to steal whatever they can. When they were attempting to ship their stolen goods back to Russia from Ukraine, much of it was stolen by their postal workers. It is a way of life in those societies.
After a while, the citizens of Russia became indifferent and inured to theft by their politicians. So long as they could exist somewhat comfortably, they were willing to overlook those deficiencies. They could no longer distinguish between truth and fiction. It didn't matter to them. In my opinion, this is where the Russian people are today.
The kleptocracy has corrupted their entire society.
ribrepin
(1,903 posts)harumph
(3,410 posts)We're already about a 1/3 of the way there due to corporate capture of regulatory
arms; e.g., SEC and flat out unpunished white collar crime.
Cosmocat
(15,466 posts)45 was the symptom, not the cause ... Th
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)No different in the Soviet Union.
wnylib
(26,439 posts)a lawless land run by criminal gangs.