One of the absolute best analytical pieces written on the Pussy Riot is this post by Mary Ellen Synon. Mary Ellen superbly connects the narrow context of the Pussy Riot immediate case and verdict to the much broader geopolitical reality that shaped the 'Western' or the 'European' quasi-hysterical response to it.
A mirror put in front of our own faces this is - a question that we must ask ourselves - is it the real pursuit of liberty that drives our occasionally misguided and often counter-productive mainstream analysis that see only evil in Russian State attempts to reconstruct itself and the national identity? Or is it driven by our biases that perfectly allow adoration of totalitarian Cuba, admiration for the Chinese 'economic miracle' built on the foundations of denying property and basic human rights to millions of Chinese citizens, unquestioning support for the cult of victimhood for often internecine and quasi-nazi 'liberation' movements around the world, our 'European' sympathies awarded to those who advocate, in fact, the destruction of democratic states, and the denigration and debasement of the very values of inclusiveness and tolerance we hold so dear in Europe itself?
Whether you agree with the facts stated in the article or not, it is never a bad thing to look at ourselves in a mirror to check for signs of ethical duplicity.
PS: To put it on the record, my view has been publicly expressed on the topic of the Pussy Riot conviction and sentencing. Here are sm snapshots from the record:
