Great interview. Very insightful. Not quite sure if his opinion on Putin is a bit one dimensional though. Personally I think Putin is first and foremost a 'patriot' worrying about keeping such an enormous landmass together (11 time zones, many ethnic groups, size 2x canada). If allowed to have a more hands-off decentralized setup, it might be decentralized leaders my come under the influence of (foreign) powers tearing the land apart, before any of the fruits of democracy could be reaped. After all, if I look at the USA,  I would not bet on it to stay together after the next election. Maybe this is just not the time. It is for sure a dilemma for him as well I guess...<br>That said, I would like to have Stephen's opinion on the EU, which after all , has now morphed into a communist-light experiment. 80% of all laws of all EU countries are derived from EU law which is drawn upon by the UNELECTED EU commission (not the EU 'parliament'). Since you can't vote the commission out they have become susceptible to the political ideas of highest bidding billionaires who at times have extreme (communistic) views , leading to terrible policies. Very interested where he sees the EU going?