Editorial: Democracy the Russian way

After more than a decade of silence Russia has again opened its mouth, spitting in every possible direction to demonstrate they not only still have a voice but also strength - political And military.

It doesn't really matter if it's true; it doesn't matter if it is just a demonstration of what they'd like to be. Why it doesn't matter is the fact that it shows the direction in which they would like to go, and the world has no option but to take notice and remember.

Independent of the situation in Russia, we are not talking about some third-world country here. Russia with its 143 million inhabitants is a power necessary to take notice of.

What are Russia's goals and what does it want to achieve? If former Russian president Vladimir Putin says "Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms." Then I'd like to ask - which democracy and which human rights?

It is true the United States cannot say much about Russia in terms of democracy. America has had centuries to develop their current democracy and even now it's a reasonable question if someone is asking whether it's just propaganda and rule of George W. Junior.

Russia has had 17 years to turn their country into something better. It's not just the ruler Vladimir Putin (the fact that the current President of the country is Dmitry Medvedev doesn't leave any doubt as to who is actually behind the power) but the people of Russia as well. A country like Russia, with such a regime could not survive without the support of the Russian people. If there would be a noticable group to force a change in the country, the country would have no option than to change. Yet, many people are still living in the times of the Soviet Union and others just don't see a problem, and thus they can see no reason to change anything.

Can a country turn a totally different page with just 17 years at all? Definitely. Estonia, which separated from Russia in 1991 is without doubt a democratic country. But the difference is that Estonian people have always had different views. Plus we need to consider the size-effect. Russia is a great country in terms of size, population and also diversity in religion, views and goals. In 1991 (and decades and decades before) Estonia had one main goal - to become independent, and that helped the country to evolve the way it has evolved.

Is there any hope for Russia in terms of democracy, human rights and freedoms? It would be stupid to say there's no hope. But it's all still in babyshoes, even the idea of those topics are still in babyshoes. And while all Western countries expect each and every other country to be democratic, who says they all need to be? People are different and democracy should not be a goal all by itself. Democracy is a tool to get from one point to another but nobody can honestly say that it is, or will be, the only way.

This issue of The Cheers is dedicated to Russia and topics surrounding this nation. Don't hesitate to send us your feedback in forms of The Cheers blogs, comments to articles and forum posts. It would be ridiculous to even try to get to the bottom of everything concerning Russia, but we do hope to give you at least some interesting reading on the topic and we hope to get some interesting feedback from you, our readers, as well.

Politics Factzone: The truth about Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il, the leader of the free world, has decided to move on to more fertile grounds, leaving with us just the memories of 8-color rainbows, singing Korean women and couple of nuclear weapons. But who was this man whose next ambition would have been to get the next Nobel Peace prize? Here are just a few facts you should know about. more Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Related to John F. Kennedy's Assassination 26.Aug 2011 Since just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conspiracy theories abou...read ISRAEL KEEPING GHADDAFI AFLOAT 10.Mar 2011 ...read Glen Beck Is NOT the Anti-Christ! 10.Mar 2011 Hurtful and fiery rhetoric is now media’s default setting! This slippery and m...read Recipe for A REVOLUTION! (10 easy steps - try not to get burned!) 28.Feb 2011 Rebellion is cooking in the air. People are mad as hell, and not going to take...read THE ASSANGE CASE. CIA INTERFERED WITH SWEDISH LEGAL PROCESSES EXTREME RIGHT POLITICS A DANGER TO EUROPEAN UNITY THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY. OUT OF TOUCH, OUT OF FOCUS, OUT OF CREDIBILITY AND HOPEFULLY, OUT OF THE DOOR Opinion World governments charged with criminal negligence (in response to Megaupload case) EARTH (thecheers.org) - Federal authorities of the universe have charged the governments of all the countries in the world as well as the operators actually in power in these countries with operating a criminal enterprise, the Galaxy warriors announced Today. more The Great OSCARS 2011 – or so it would seem 5.Mar 2011 So, how exciting......a morning off, the Academy Awards. I wish I could say the...read Top 7 Expensive Bordellos. Prostitution: Shakedown, Tier Down, and Priced Out 31.Jan 2011 According to a report of the Washington DC-based US Department of State, The Ph...read The Great Secret and Reason for the JFK Assassination 11.Oct 2010 The great question is why the great secret? On June 4 1963, President Kennedy s...read Don't Do it! The 3 Worst Times to Get Tattoos 4.Oct 2010 As a general rule, tattoos gotten after 2 am are a bad idea. But in a bigger pi...read

Travel Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN 13.Sep 2010 TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation ...read more TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL. 5.Jun 2010 Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used...read TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES 16.Apr 2010 Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, fro...read TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA. 5.Apr 2010 Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notice...read TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS. 2.Apr 2010 Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices...read Sport No Payoff From the Playoffs $16.50 will Get Anyone in the Hall Mr McGwire Stupid Athlete Tricks Technology Think Big! Think the World's Largest International Trade Show Top 9 cool laptop accessories for laptop geeks Twittering: I'm not that interesting Cheers Jesus' Answering Machine Brown Couch or twelve midgets in the town square How To Be Happy Drugged Out Saturday Nights Muslim Decapitation: Bad, or Simply Misunderstood?