Vladimir Putin intended the Winter Olympics opening today in Sochi to be a showcase for the revived Russia he believes he has created over the past 15 years: an economic power and a conservative counterpoint to the liberal and secular West. In reality, Sochi will provide, at best, another example of how awarding the Games to autocratic governments like that of Mr. Putin only reinforces their worst practices while undermining what should be the Olympics’ commitment to human freedom and tolerance.
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