"The New Age of Authoritarianism"

Chrystia Freeland, The Financial Times | August 12, 2008

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and victory of western liberalism, the world is experiencing a revival of authoritarianism, especially in petro-states in Latin America or the Middle East. ++ Furthermore, Russia has learned its lesson from history: instead of liberalization, Putin established a neo-authoritarian state with imperial ambitions as the latest Russian retaliation proves. ++ The West is remarkably optimistic about authoritarianism this time, maybe because these regimes promise enormous wealth.