ugh....

Yeah... Terrible dictator. Nobody worked with him...

And regarding Putin:

I'll translate for you:

'And then Americans suddenly understand that Putin cheating on the elections in Russia...'

Don't forget they don't have huge natural resources to consume like Russia does.

And well they still are very poor and often come to Poland to work for minimal wages and when they go home those few dollars saved are worth lot more than here. And that's when compared to one of poorest countries in EU.

I heard Poles in EU are like Mexicans in AMerica..

Your joking... right?

I mean your proof that the west makes Putin look bad and Quadaffi look good is people have shook his hand?

Keep in mind... this is people AFTER he capitulated and started giving in to the US?

I mean, there are DOZENS more pictures of US presidents and Putin.

If I was a Russian, I will vote for Putin!

Sources, Kaz, sources. Mention of Gaidar, Transparency International, Freedom House, Shleifer are worth a lot of ":D" as well. Bibliography of research defines it well enough to make a judgement if said research is a worthy material or not, any academic or school teacher will tell you that.

For better understanding (since we're on gaming site after all), it's like hardcorez vs casual stuff (or whatever is trendy today? have been out of gaming for a while) and people who in all seriousness trying to base their knowledge on this two-leged scheme, ignoring its' shortcomings, rather than just denying it all together as completely broken. And that's not surprising, since said gaming memeplex (or "memthology" if you will) as well as Aslund's stuff you brought up here (which is really typical middle-class European political analytic or enthusiast opinion) are two of the same kind, despite what phantom relations to reallity they might have, both were cultivated for a completely different purpose.

Not sure if I making myself clear though :D

Pretty much.  You are disagreeing with it soley because of anti-western europeon bias and paranoia and simply not wanting it to be true.  Transparity International for example is a perfectly fine source.

No, Kaz, I disagreeing with it mainly because Aslund is an typical and well-rounded idiot, and here's really not much else to say ;D I don't consider, say, Zbigniew Brzezinski an idiot despite the fact he is a complete russophobe.

P.S.: And that's so nice that you accused me of being biased, having an agenda or some sort of paranoia :D In fact, I did you a favour, because, really, people who live in glass houses...

You challenged perfectly legitamite sources... yet when I mention the sources are fine... suddenly you aren't challenging them?

In which case, your arguement falls apart... since once again...

if the sources and data are valid, then you don't have a leg to stand on.

Your going in circles here.

Though i'll note...  you did attack the sources.  It's like, the very start of your post before this.

People who using such sources in the way Aslund did, i.e. non-critically, are idiots. What exactly is not clear here to you? It's like judge Jesus Christ by the Gospel of Judas, or Judas by the Bible. The result is little more than totally expected ;D

P.S.: Ok, it's a bed-time for me over here, exchanging caustic remarks with you is tiresome. If you want some discussion, just ask.