Russian opposition leader Garry Kasparov says President Vladimir Putin will have more difficulty holding onto power today than he did during his first two terms.
"Under the new Constitution, the term is six years. I think that, taking into account rapid change and the dynamic forces of the situation both internally and abroad, realistically, he has two or three years left. The situation is changing," he said.
Talking to VOA during a visit to Washington this week, the outspoken political activist and former world chess champion said modern technology has increased people's involvement in decision-making, and made it impossible for unwanted government institutions to remain entrenched in power.
Kasparov, the leader of Russia's United Civil Front, was one of the key speakers at a human rights summit in the U.S. capital. He said the United States is often guided by strategic national interests and criticizes regimes for human rights violations selectively.
"After all, this is a result of the fact that for many years, the U.S., motivated by its own interests, supported dictators, like in Pakistan, in Egypt. Or in the case of Gadhafi, where the U.S. didn't quite support him, but they considered Libya important geopolitically and tried not to irritate Gadhafi," he said.
Kasparov said the U.S. government should abandon double standards and restore its moral authority to lead the world in the fight for human rights.