Garry Kasparov on Egypt, Russia, and violent protest. From The Other Russia:
We need to understand that this same kind of algorithm of action [seen in Egypt] is going to spread to Russia – but to a much greater extent. Russia is a nuclear power, and the financial interests of the Putin clan intersected with the interests of Western politicians and businessmen long ago. Therefore, any attempt to abandon the basic principles of liberalism would be suicide. People have a right to free expression and free elections. Consent to rude procedural violations and “soft” forms of dictatorship, justified by the idea that things would be worse otherwise, not only discredits the idea of liberal democracy and its advocates, but also inevitably leads to the reverse result – the strengthening of radical elements. The dissatisfied protesters will, at some point, realize that their opportunities to influence the situation in a peaceful way have been exhausted.