"Why did [Alexei] Navalny fail to overthrow Putin? His supporters may argue that he never had much of a chance: the Kremlin controls all major media in Russia, clamps down harshly on any dissent, and made life--literally--as difficult as possible for him and his dream.

All of that is true. But another, deeper reason for Navalny's failure may have been his conception of a post-Putin government: a liberal democracy like the 'normal' West. The issue with this formulation was that many today do not find the West to be 'normal', at least not anymore. His failure should serve not just as a warning for Russian opposition figures; it should also serve as a warning for Westerners. Much like the Soviet Union before it, the central ideology of the twenty-first century West has a time limit. And time is running out."

- Anthony J. Constantini, Bleak and Full of Promise:

Echoes of the Late Soviet Union