Kazakhstan is authoritarian but pretty chill (thanks to their de-facto acceptance of weed?), I’d put it higher than Russia and Belarus in terms of everyday quality of life, especially now. Tatarstan (republic in Russia) is one of better places there, I was surprised by how safe and clean small towns look, felt like local politicians don’t steal as much as others do.

Problem is not religion alone. Problem is Mahachkala’s heads are pretty happy the way it is, and they keep their grip steady by also using religion. It’s a region that famously got into news after it was discovered they use fucking slave labor on their brick factories, kidnapped men. They did so because of islam, or rather because they do whatever they want to exploit people and get away with it as long as they are friends with key people and do what they need? Where this anti-social behavior is rarely prosecuted?

Honestly, I’d like to see how republics of Caucasus may turn out if not for their long-living power culture that got them stuck with the same people and politics. Take Georgia or Armenia. With that climate and geography they are well-set as a tourist destination.