The terms "Putinism" and "Putinist" often have negative connotations when used in Western media[REF][REF][REF][REF][REF][REF] to reference the Russian government under Putin where , the military-security establishment, controls much of the political and financial power.
Cassiday and Johnson argue that since taking power in 1999, "Putin has inspired expressions of adulation the likes of which Russia has not seen since the days of Stalin.