One problem in politics in Soviet and post-Soviet space in its maximalism. This is a problem that equally affects both government and opposition alike. Both sides want complete and unconditional victory with no concessions to their opponents. This escalates any disagreement into an all-out conflict to the death or exile of one of the opponents.
All that lead towards polarized and bitter society where group on top spends all its efforts on maintaining their grip on power and all others constantly plot taking them down. This constant Mexican stand off or battle royale keeps everyone on edge. All time, energy and resources are spent on infighting with nothing left to spend on improvement of life. All that lead to horrible living conditions, emigration, brain drain and leaves the countries in perpetual underdeveloped limbo between 1st and 3rd world.
It begun with Communists who were extremely maximalist in their agenda, offered no compromises. At first it allowed them to dispose the landlords and give land to peasants. However later this very same maximalism led towards countless purges. Millions have died, many of them were some of the best people in the country who died because people in power were afraid of losing their power to someone better. Eventually incompetent geriatrics run what was left of USSR into the ground.
Now most of the post-Soviet world repeats this mistake in their now independent parts of former USSR.
In countries of Eurasian Economic Union and to lesser extend the rest of CIS jails or kills any and all opposition who could reasonably challenge its grip on power. Government bureaucrats, police and connected fat cats hog up all the money in national budget, leaving everyone else in the country cold and dry.
All this unites the entire nation against its government. It goes to such extremes where people vote for a President who literary killed onscreen the entire parliament because MPs refuse anti-corruption measures and intend to keep misusing budget funds to pay for their Maldives vocations.
I understand people's outrage. It is wrong when government officials cannot find money in the budget to afford medicine or fix literary anything, but somehow always have enough to afford mansions and Mercedes Maybach cars. That is enough to think that only extermination can fix them.
However, getting rid of all politicians is equally maximalist agenda. It pushes bureaucrats and police to ally themselves with the current regime (dictator) and defend them like their life depends on it, because it almost literary does. This is the only reason why Putin or Lukashenka are still in power.
Government united against their own people and people equally united against their government is not a recipe for a prosperity or development. However, no one is willing to walk away from the confrontation because people in government have everything to lose and ordinary people have everything to gain.
Bitter struggle for power between government and people lead to so called colored revolutions. They do not happen because of Soros or Americans. They happen because of how post-Soviet countries are.
In contrast to confrontational approach of post-soviet countries, politics in the West are a lot more collaborative and compromise seeking. Back in early 20th century where Bolsheviks overthrew the bourgeoisie, British Labour found compromise with the business.
As much as business leaders dislike trade unions, they negotiate with them over working conditions and salaries. Both sides get something of value from these negotiations and both sides continue their work together. In the end business need workers to work various jobs for them. Workers too need somewhere to work.
Delicate balance makes sure both sides have vested interest in continued collaboration. Give too much power to business and workers will lose the insensitive to do any actual work. People will quit or do Italian strike to avoid getting anything done. The result will be stagnant dysfunctional economy where nothing ever gets done, just like in USSR.
Give too much power to workers and unions and businesses will decide to close or sell. That too will lead towards stagnation, but due to lack of investment (influx of money).
Politics too are filled with compromises. In Western Liberal Democracy losing power does not mean losing wealth, exile, going to prison or even losing life. That is why politicians meet defeat with little more than upset. Life continues, there will be election again, meanwhile parliamentary salary will afford decent lifestyle just as before.
In post-Soviet state dictators cling to their offices like their lives depend on it and it often does. Most former post-soviet dictators live in exile and hope their host country will not enforce the arrest warrant, their successors in power issued for them. If that is what awaits you if you lose power, then you might as well order riot police to beat the protestors instead of conceding defeat. That act will of course further alienate people from you, and they will demand ever harsher punishment for your misuse of power against peaceful citizens, thus pushing you further into bunkering up. However, even if they cannot overthrow you then and there, people will continue to fight back secretly or from exile, and circle of hatred will continue.
You can do the western thing and reach a compromise where everyone gets enough value out of work to keep them motivated to keep going. Else you will keep chasing thieves, traitors, foreign agents and other such enemies of the state/people to no end, while actual work will stagnate and country further and further falling behind.
People ultimately selfish creatures. They will always look after their own self-interest. They will get money for their Maldives vacation even if they have to destroy your entire motherland to do so. If that is the case, why not just pay them enough so that they can afford Maldives without any complex corrupt schemes. That way they will have enough energy and time to do something for the country as well.
To make people do something for a country or common prosperity there should be system that rewards them financially for their effort. Cheap propaganda or patriotic brainwashing will not make anyone smart enough to make a difference to actually put any effort into anything. Only idiots will work that way, and their idiotic efforts will lead to equally idiotic results.
Hopefully post-soviet states will manage to find their way out of this circle of hatred and constant animosity.
Humanity evolved from apes because of their ability to build alliances and coalitions. One ape cannot take down a mammoth, but many can. However, insensitive are needed for many to work together. They will not do it for nothing, they will only do it if rewards are high enough.
Just like pre-historic people, modern humanity created NATO and other organizations for the sake of common good. Whatever mammoth still oppose them, will not be likely to survive long. In the end it was Russian behavior that pushed eastern Europeans to join NATO. Russia shoot itself in a foot, making the same mistake, Poland-Lithuania did 200 years prior. Back then coalition of Russia, Prussia and Austria took Poland-Lithuania down. Modern Russia have forgotten its lessons from back then.
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