Well... I remember talking about this concept on this forum way back, but ever since the monarchies or Russia, there has been a reformer/repressor cycle. One leader would be corrupt and repress the people, then there would be a reformer who would come along and fix everything. Then, there would be another leader after him to screw it all up and be corrupt again. So, if you follow this cycle up (with exceptions at the end of Russian Revolution and Cold War), Putin is next in line to be a repressor.
Well, this is obvious, Putin is corrupt as hell. However, these corrupt practices could mean a dictatorship for Russia. A complete undoing of everything that the Russian people have struggled for over the past 100 years or so. However, that also means that the US will have one more country to keep an eye on. Between North Korea and Iran, I don't think we need an enemy that has access to old Soviet Nuclear facilities.