Russia Not So Democratic Anymore: A new survey shows that Russians are more downbeat about democracy in the past few years than they were in the early 1990s, and they would choose a strong economy over a healthy democracy by a margin of nearly 6 to 1. The 2005 Pew Global Attitudes Survey shows a vast shift in public opinion, with many Russians disillusioned on democratization—66 percent of respondents say they would support a “strong leader” while only 28 percent supported a democratic form of government. In 1991, the results of the same question were 39 percent for a strong leader, 51 percent for democratic government, and 10 percent undecided.
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.