Baltimore Sun: “‘Democracy’ in Russia: Don’t try talking back”

It seems the time has finally come for the universal use of scare quotes around the word “democracy” when referring to the form in which it exists in Russia today. Surely it doesn’t meet the standards of any dictionary, let alone any notion of human rights. This piece in the Baltimore Sun says as much in its commentary on the brutal police repression of the Other Russia rallies on the 14th and 15th.

Nowhere else in the world does democracy look the way it did in Moscow earlier this month, when as many as 9,000 riot police and troops — some in camouflage, with truncheons, helmets, shields and a clear go-ahead to crack down — beat back a peaceful anti-government protest. . . .

The scene — a nonviolent rally met with an extraordinarily large, and at times frighteningly aggressive, police force — spoke to the unwillingness of the Putin government to brook any opposition at a time when its grip on power is as strong as it has ever been in the post-Soviet era. . . .

The disproportionately large response also got to a fundamental flaw in the way the democracy trumpeted by Putin “works” here: The government feels free to take whatever steps it wants to counter those brave enough to challenge it with no visible consequence. . . .

Marcher, journalist, bystander: It didn’t much matter. Merely being there meant you were a threat.

What’s next for Russian “democracy” and how much longer will the leaders of democratic nations pretend those quotes don’t exist?