I think the problem was the organized crime in Russia after the end of the cold war. I suppose the US had to go through a period of organized crime--like Chicago in the 30s--it's a necessary rite of passage for a democracy maybe. But the Russians didn't have the patience, they wanted a strong man to make the organized crime go away. Putin did it--he just made the government the organized crime, and people in Russia now tell me the govt organzied crime is worse than the civilian one was.