Every week , all over the free world , someone is writing this type of article .
Does it feel as though the sun is sinking ?
Why are russians the most cowardly race on the planet ? Do they enjoy being Slaves ?
Sorry to say such things , but it is what everybody thinks and so many people are now publicly saying it .

A Visiting Fellow, dealing with the problems of the former Soviet Union, of the American think tank the Hudson Institute, Alex Alexiev, gave an interview to an American website Family Security Matters, dealing with the issue of the American war against Islam, where he spoke about the situation and prospects of Russia. Alexiev (perhaps an ethnic Ukrainian) in particular noted:

"What's crystal clear is that Russia under Putin has not only lost its war with terrorism, but more than that, it has lost its way as a civilized state and society and faces a very uncertain future.

You may remember that nearly 12 years ago Putin began building his reputation as a tough, no- nonsense, leader by promising rather crudely to pursue terrorist everywhere, catch them in airport toilets and "waste them in the outhouse."

By picking Domodedovo Airport for the ninth serious attack in Moscow since then, the terrorists seem to be telling the Russian people that Putin can talk all he wants but is incapable of protecting them.

And it's not just Moscow; there have been twice as many terrorist attacks in the past year in the North Caucasus and elsewhere in 2010 than in 2009.

Putin gave a carte blanche to a Chechen thug, Ramzan Kadyrov, to put down the insurgency by whatever means he chose and he has had some success, though the insurgency is by no means decisively defeated.

In the meantime, Kadyrov's incredibly brutal methods, including torture, kidnapping and murder of innocent relatives of insurgents have transformed Chechnya into a lawless fiefdom where Kadyrov rules as a feudal satrap.

In the meantime, the original Chechen nationalist struggle for autonomy has been transformed into a region-wide radical Islamist movement aiming to establish a Caucasus Emirate under Sharia law and get rid of the infidels.

The Chechens no longer play first fiddle in the leadership of this movement and the Islamist contagion has now spread throughout the region.

And not only in Chechnya, but also in Dagestan, Ingushetia and elsewhere. As a result, an atmosphere of ethnic intolerance was created that drove most ethnic Russians away from the region in a de facto voluntary ethnic cleansing. Today there are virtually no Russians left, with less than one percent in Chechnya and Ingushetia and no more than 3% in Dagestan.

Beyond that, none of these places have even the beginning of a functional economy with 70% to 80% unemployment and the entire budget coming from Moscow. How long do you think that could last if you end up with a serious unrest in Russia, or conversely with more sensible government in the Kremlin?

There are now dozens of Russian scholars and specialists who believe that for its own good Russia should separate from the  North Caucasus.

And there is something else. Until now many in the West believed that in fighting Islamism, albeit brutally, Moscow was essentially on our side. That is no longer true.

Right now the most important accomplices of radical Islam may be the Kremlin's disastrous policies and warlords like Kadyrov.

Seeking to gain a modicum of legitimacy, the latter, for instance, is already catering to sharia by advocating polygamy, forcing women in the hijab and limiting alcohol. The total destruction of civil society and the rule of law throughout the region, has also left people no choice but to go back to Islam and radical Islamization is growing by leaps and bounds.

For Russia and Putin this means the following.
When Putin came to power ten years ago, he made an implicit deal with the Russian people to provide them with security and a gradual improvement of their economic well-being provided by high carbon prices, in exchange for lack of freedom.

He has now failed to deliver on all counts. What he has delivered instead is a corrupt system based on a symbiosis between authoritarian politics and mafia economics that is very close to the fascist model of government. It may survive a while longer, but more and more people realize that it's not just the terrorists that have condemned Russia and its people to insecurity, stagnation and decline.