http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081106/...esident_s_term

To be honest I always thought it was only going to be a matter of time. Considering the levels of nationalism and the tradition of strong leaders that Russia has, the idea of checks and balances was never going to be taken seriously.

If we consider Putin's return to be inevitable, what does this mean for Russia. Will it make that short leap from communism to fascism, taking us back to the days of expansionism and ultra-nationalism?

In any case, I don't feel overly optimistic for Russia right now - or its neighbours...