Putin's Russia: Sochi Or Bust

The conspicuous dazzle of the games masks a country, and a president, in deepening trouble FEBRUARY 7th sees the opening of the winter Olympics in Sochi on the Black Sea. The message of the games is simple: "Russia is back". Sochi was planned as a celebration of Russia’s resurgence, a symbol of international recognition and a crowning moment for Vladimir Putin, its president, who for the present seems to have seen off all his challengers. Appropriately, the opening ceremony will include the im...