"It's often said that Putin has effectively transformed his country into a vassal of China. That's true, but Russia's relationship with its much more powerful neighbor to the south is more accurately termed colonial.

Colonies are locally administered territories that are subordinate to the political and economic priorities set by foreign powers. Colonies are not fully sovereign, inasmuch as they don't make the decisions that determine their fate.

Seen in this light, Putin's Russia is as much a colony of China as medieval Muscovy was a colony of the Mongol Empire."

Whole article is quite good.

I just hope Vlad pays his blind apologists what they are worth.

About a ruble a day.

What did you think about the article when you read it, MW?

Oh, wait.... you didn't.

- Opinions Vary.
I don't agree with any of his basic premises.

Of course you don't.

His opinion is that of a professor of political science at Rutgers University, and a specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the Soviet Union.

You aren't any of those things. You are infamous here as a Putin Apologist, though, so there's that.