NATO ENLARGEMENT: The exclusion of Russia was a serious violation of international law. President Bush's promises to Gorbachev were nothing but deception – he appeared as a two-faced Janus, working closely with Gorbachev on a tactical level, while actually forcing the Soviet Union to retreat on a strategic level. We in the West claim that Russia must follow international law, but we ourselves can break it when it suits us.
NERVØS ELITE: The Russian elite is preparing for a change of power in 2024. The elite struggles with declining legitimacy among ordinary people, but so far, people's dissatisfaction is reflected in apathy.
In Putin's Witnesses, we follow Putin's path to power in Russia and see how early promises of free press end in full rejection of democratic rules of play.