I understand that this article is not about Russia, so I am being off topic. However the myth that Putin is a dictator is what fuels Americans’ hostility towards Russia. It is important to debunk this weird assumption. You too, fail to provide any evidence except “Putin dictates, therefore he is a semi-dictator”. Putin is a democratically elected leader. In Russia, American practice of elections based on bribery and corruption by “donors”, practice that literally buys American government, is unknown. Russia has one-man-one-vote system. I am Russian and I don’t need to read foreign historians to know what my country is. Putin is one of several like-minded politicians who are working AS A TEAM to wage diplomacy and conduct domestic policies. It is mind-boggling that even after reading Caity’s article with the video that explains perfectly what Russian system is and what Russia is striving for on the international arena, people like you are still repeating the mantra “Putin dictator”. It is the same as saying that Assad is a dictator in Syria. There is not a single unilateral decision that has been made in Russian government or its domestic branches. Unlike in the United States, where Trump alone signs his “executive orders”. If you want to insist that Russia is being ruled by a single person, you have to provide a strong proof. I see this opinion as a result of vague brain-washing and misunderstanding of what you read on the internet, even by Stephen Cohen. Americans are being drunk, sadly, with the myth of their “freedom” and they see Asia and Eastern Europe as simply underdeveloped. Asia and Eastern Europe have “dictators”, “propaganda”, “aggression” and other things that Americans associate with backwardness. But before you point out a split in the other’s eye, how about taking a log out of yours.