corruption is only the rust of despotism
Corruption is not always a feature of a weak state. What is "weakness"? What is a "strength"? Democratic state is strong as concerns cultural and technical achievements, common wealth and human rights. Despotism is strong as concerns war conquests, the wealth of ruling elite and the rights of rulers and nomenclature. Corruption is a most widespread pretext for dictators to be dictators. Sometimes dictators really can exterminate corruption: there was very low level of corruption under Hitler and Stalin. But this is only a short-range effect, and the price (in human lifes) is too high. In democratic states the corruption is usually average. Modern Russia is a very old despotic state, born in XVIth century, and the level of corruption is very high. The current polical strategy of Kremlin (extermination of democracy) will lead not to the extermination of corruption, but to the extermination of information concerning corruption. The corruption will grow according to the Acton Act: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." People who think that the iron hand of Kremlin (Putin or any other hypostasis of despotism) will remove corruption, don't understand that corruption is only the rust of despotism.