A great piece by Matthew Rojansky of Carnegie gets right down to the nub of the issue in Russia – if the protests force Putin to allow a more competitive political environment, does that necessarily mean the end of Putinism?  Rojansky is sanguine about Putin’s ability to play on a level field, while I am not so sure he will have thick enough skin after such a long, easy ride.

Indeed, this is why many ordinary Russians who have come onto the streets in the past month are calling for more transparency and real competition. While some chant “Russia without Putin” and seek to bring down the system entirely, comments on Russian social networking sites suggest that the majority of protesters’ goals are more modest: free and fair elections, a chance for their voices to be heard, and an end to the endemic corruption that infects every stratum of Russian life and constrains the potential of its most dynamic citizens.