Silvio Berlusconi's governments in Italy had some features that suggest similarities to Putin. While Putin's system is a power conglomeration of state bureaucracy, secret service and top-ranking oligarchs, Berlusconi combined politics with media powers, with him in charge of all major television channels. Berlusconi also altered Italy's political landscape, with all parties now being dominated by patriarchal types. I guess that Putin's system will also outlast the man himself.