Is Russia well on its way toward morphing into North Korea?

Not really. The Hermit Kingdom was culturally conditioned to become a closed society with fealty to a family. Russia has a rebellious streak that makes it inherently difficult to close the society in the same manner as N Korea.

Sixty years of oppressive dictatorship under the Soviets did not lead Russia to be closed as N Korea. And the widespread demonstrations this weekend also show that Russia won’t move to be like N Korea.

Would you say that things have improved or deteriorated for the average Russian since the collapse of the Soviet Union?

Again, simple generalizations that don’t explain themselves, deserve to be answered in kind.

“Is Russia well on its way toward morphing into North Korea?”
– No.

“Aren’t all the signs there?”
– No.

“Would you say that things have improved or deteriorated for the average Russian since the collapse of the Soviet Union?”
– No, I would tend not to make such a meaningless generalization.

Can’t see it happening. Russians know too much about the world.

@Zaku The birth rate plummets. Lifespans are shrinking at better than 5 years per decade for men and the alcohol and tuberculoses epidemics rage out of control as covid and our own drug problems proliferate before an increasingly enfeebled and overpowered health network. Would you “generalize” that things are improving or perhaps static?

“our own”? Are you talking about Russia, North Korea, or the US there? Over what time period. I admit I don’t really have my finger on the pulse of birth rates and lifespans, nor am I finding easy current statistics that help me see the trends you are describing in either the USA or Russia at least up to 2011.

North Korea seems to have a higher birth rate than either the USA or Russia, and what I would call a pretty flat one. I see 15.17 per 1,000 people in 2005 and
14.5 births/1,000 population (2020 est.).

I usually respect and tend to agree with the majority of what I remember of your posts, Stanley, but in this case, I am thinking you are drunk and/or that I have no idea what you’re talking about.

ok

Russia under KGB veteran Putin, has aspirations to regain control of its former Soviet territories, and beyond, while Best Korea is isolationist, impoverished, run by a fat man child, who inherited his thrown, and is too concerned about remaining king of his little fiefdom.

IMO, Russia is selective as to who they don’t like, and they have the power to do so, if they like. I think, realistically speaking, that North Korea, in effect, hates everybody. North Korea, again IMO, just stands up to the US because they view the US as the biggest boy on the block, and by thumbing their noses at the US, they feel like big boys too.

The North Korean government & media are doing the Orwellian “pretend to be at war all the time” thing as a justification for the current regime, security, control, denial of human rights, and police/spy/military power used against their own people.

The main patterns I immediately notice being similar between NK, Russia, and USA include:

Russia like NK: Putin not letting anyone else replace him. Police/spy assets aggressive with own people.

USA like NK: US unending imaginary “wars” – against “Drugs” and “Terror”, used as a justification for excessive security, denial of human rights, and police/spy/military buildup including overuse against own people.