George Soros, the financier and philanthropist who has followed Russian affairs closely, has already concluded that a Putin presidency will be "authoritarian and nationalistic."

During Putin presidency, many oligarchs came under fire for various illegal activities, particularly tax evasion in the businesses they acquired.

Hahahahaha, let's ask the 107 journalists murdered in Russia during the first Putin presidency if they believe that!

A third Putin presidency now presages a period of ever more chauvinistic nationalism and increased domestic confrontation.

With a complex agenda of overlapping and competing interests, there is no simple answer to what a Putin presidency could mean for Washington.

"As someone put it," Mr. Trenin said, "the Yeltsin-Gorbachev syndrome of unilateral concessions may now be prolonged into the Putin presidency."

Piontkovsky is the author of several books on the Putin presidency in Russia, including his most recent book, Another Look Into Putin's Soul.

While many reforms made during the Putin presidency have been criticized by Western nations as un-democratic, Putin's leadership led to stability, and progress.

Under the Putin presidency, Yavlinsky remained an active opponent of military solution to the problems in Chechnya.

Secondly, the authoritarian nature of the Putin presidency, which has put back the democratisation of Russia.