We just noticed that one of our (personal) Facebook friends became a supporter of, “Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich – The Greatest Statesman of Modern Russia.” Why we think this is interesting: the president has 18,925 Facebook supporters!
For those that bemoan Russia’s slide back to authoritarianism (our hands our raised too), remember: this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Russia’s citizens aren’t dumb, and they like what they see. Until a compelling alternative emerges (yes, yes, we know the Kremlin doesn’t make it easy — see our own Russia fieldwork for details), expect more of the same.
Meanwhile, you can show Global Integrity some Facebook love here.
— Nathaniel Heller
Image credit: Antonis Shen (cc by/nc/nd)
