What was the most daunting obstacle facing Boris Nemtsov in the recent mayoral election in Sochi? It wasn't the falsification of the vote or the massive abuse of administrative resources. It was the despair of the people, their lack of faith in the idea that their lives could be changed for the better.
We democrats have yet to prove we are capable of winning hearts and minds in Russia -- of confronting the discredited image of democratic reform that is tied in the public mind to the troubles of the 1990s, says former Deputy Energy Minister Vladimir Milov. The situation is complicated further by the authorities' unwillingness to enter into any form of political dialogue with the democratic opposition.
