Here we go again — another round of anti-Americanism from the Kremlin and state-controlled media. We have heard claims that the United States is trying to orchestrate an Orange Revolution in Russia many times before, but it was never this intense.

Once again, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has refused to participate in presidential debates. He skipped out in the 2000 and 2004 presidential races, and two weeks ago Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, announced that Putin was too busy to participate in the 2012 debates, scheduled for next month. Taking time off for debates would "impede his ability to carry out his duties."

If Putin gave up power at any age, he and dozens of his friends and colleagues who have become millionaires and billionaires over the past 10 years through their Kremlin-connected businesses could face serious corruption charges. This is why the best, and perhaps only, way for Putin to preserve immunity is to stay in power until death.

In the good old days, Putin got away with the idea that "the tsar is good, the boyars are bad." Now, an increasing number of people believe that "the fish rots from the head."

What lessons, if any, will Putin learn from the Berlusconi era and its demise? Putin’s “Berlusconi moment” could very well come at his 18-year mark — in 2018, when his third presidential term ends. But don’t expect Putin to exit stage left.

The Kremlin cannot hide behind the bankrupt argument that human rights abuses are "internal matters." Despite Putin's opposition to Western "interference," there are many cases in which the West has helped victims of human rights abuse in the country, This was true for Soviet dissidents and remains true for Russians today.

Yeltsin understood that the line on Russian passports identifying a citizen's nationality or ethnic group was a crude, discriminatory leftover from the Soviet Union and had no place in the new, democratic Russia. That is why he abolished it in 1997. Now, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov would like to return the nationality entry to passports. This is a disturbing sign of the rise in Russian nationalism and chauvinism.

Putin revealed his dirty little secret during his speech at the United Russia convention. The most distasteful aspect was that Putin wasn't even bashful of publicly admitting the secret deal was sealed years ago. On the contrary, it appeared he was relishing the trick he played on everyone. This behavior shows all the markings of a megalomaniac who has enjoyed uncontested power far too long.

By reincarnating Dmitry Rogozin and fanning the flames of anti-Caucasus sentiment, Putin’s political move will only lead to an increase in violence against ethnic minorities. What's more, by boosting the talented and ambitious Rogozin and his popular nationalist agenda, Putin could get burned by creating a formidable rival to his rule.

Hardened Russia critics in U.S. Congress could try to use "economic security" as a pretext to kill the Exxon-Rosneft deal and undermine Obama's reset, particularly in an election year. But the much bigger hurdle for the Exxon deal is Russia itself and its unpredictable business environment.

Putin's stance on elective government is clear — the less, the better. Given St. Petersburg Governor Valentina Matviyenko's unpopularity and fearing a defeat in a free and fair election, the Kremlin was forced to use the only trick it has in these situations — election manipulation.

False patriotism and a simulated deep concern for “abused Russians” located abroad cut to the core of Russia's new bill to blacklist foreign officials — Russia's answer to the U.S. Magnitsky bill. But if Russia's lawmakers were really concerned about the welfare of Russians, they would start by blacklisting and prosecuting their own criminals.

Pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy, is the psychological syndrome when a woman is convinced she is pregnant after experiencing several similar symptoms that are associated with pregnancy. Russia's military hawks, who constantly warn that U.S. missile defense will undermine Russia's strategic nuclear deterrence, are experiencing a similar hallucination.

It is a primitive stereotype and myth that Russians are doomed to be gloomy and morose. The problem has little to do with Dostoevsky, the cold climate or lack of sunlight and much more to do with the rampant corruption, lawlessness,  weak civil society and low level of freedom in the country.

According to Russia's doctrine of "sovereign democracy," the West shouldn't meddle in Russia's internal affairs. But the post-World War II paradigm governing international law dictates that gross human rights abuses are a global concern.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sent a clear and chilling signal on Dec. 16 that the "soft autocracy" of his first decade in power will become more oppressive in his second decade.

Membership would mean the end of Russia’s dream of restoring its former superpower status. Russia would become just another Germany, Britain or France — a “sacrilege” for nationalists who remember when the Soviet Union was much more powerful than these three countries combined.

By filing charges against Luzhkov, Putin would set a high-profile example — something that is badly needed given that Medvedev’s two-year anti-corruption campaign has brought few results.

The biggest winners in Luzhkov’s sacking are Putin and his vertical power structure. “Operation Luzhkov” will have the same chilling effect on politicians that “Operation Khodorkovsky” had on oligarchs.

Russia has done little to reduce its high number of fake diplomas ― but at the same time it requires foreigners to prove that their degrees are valid before they can get a work permit.

When Yury Shevchuk met with Putin, it was a truly historic event. Putin-watchers have been waiting 10 years for him to go one-on-one with a real critic of his regime. But despite Putin's attempt to appear as a democratic politician who is tolerant of the opposition, he failed miserably.

Russia's leading conservative analysts claim that the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction — or MAD, the bedrock of nuclear deterrence — could be at risk. But there are three main false ideas behind that Chicken Little theory.

Leading hawks are the Kremlin’s “special forces” — its public relations OMON — that allow it to keep hot the coals of anti-U.S. sentiment among millions of Russians.

Josef Stalin once said, “It’s not important how the people vote, but who is counting the votes.” This could also apply to counting the warheads in the New START agreement.

President Dmitry Medvedev plays an unconvincing tough guy. And the more he tries to act tough, the weaker he looks.

The Kremlin is clearly not content with its diminished power status. But one way it can still project its power globally is to be the spoiler.

Military leaders feign phobia to get defense funds that are later pilfered. This is a vivid example of how NATO-phobia fuels corruption.

To be fair, Putin has done a lot of good things for Russia, but there is a difference between a good leader and a divine tsar.

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, and this means that most of Russia shuts down for two weeks and enters the party mode of çàãóë, ãóëÿíêà and ãóëüáà — all of which mean major celebrating and are rooted in the verb ãóëÿòü (to have a good time, celebrate).

There is a rich Soviet history of crude anti-NATO propaganda. Unfortunately, this Krokodil-like depiction continues today.