Russia and China, regional powers trying to restore Cold War-size importance to their roles in the world, are having a difficult time leaving the path of authoritarian government, a Freedom House analysis says. The study, released Tuesday, describes Russia`s procedures as "a model of governance that denies basic political rights and shuns democratic accountability." China, it says, is having a harder time so far mollifying a populace eager for more of the good things their open economy has brought. The "delicate balancing act is becoming increasingly tenuous," the analysis says. The findings are in the annual "Countries at the Crossroads" report, Freedom House`s analysis and comparative data on 60 "critical, policy-relevant countries." Russian President Vladimir Putin`s governing concept, called sovereign democracy, "contains little in the way of genuine democratic governance (and) is also held out as a model for hybrid regimes and autocracies on the Russian Federation`s periphery. In other words, several of the former Soviet republics. HIV/AIDS, a rapidly shrinking population, and runaway corruption that touches virtually every sector and eats at society`s fabric also put a drag into the Russian system, the analysis said. In China, "authorities have executed a finely calibrated balancing act, seeking to offset emerging calls for political accountability with accelerated economic expansion," it said. Too-small improvements in the system "appear inadequate for meeting the unyielding demands that accompany integration in the global economic system," Freedom House says in an overview essay written by Christopher Walker and Sanja Tatic. The report covers 30 of the 60 countries. Founded in the United States in 1941, Freedom House is an independent nongovernmental organization that supports expansion of political freedom in the world. Among the study`s other findings: _Egypt, vitally important to Middle East peacemaking, "supports freedom in rhetoric but quashes it in practice; it has become more authoritarian and repressive over the past two years, despite its language to the contrary." _Iran "has worsened further in the past two years under President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad`s administration." "The regime increasingly tramples individual rights and puts the state at the service of the elite." "Corruption is rife in Iran, and the state audit court has revealed numerous cases of embezzlement from state agencies." _Thailand saw "advancements in democratic development ... achieved since the end of military rule in 1992 abruptly ended" with a military coup. "Although the coup leaders enjoyed popular support, promising a new constitution and elections, the country remains in crisis as ... the new government has not yet carried through on re-establishing democracy." _Colombia experienced positive achievements in 2006 with President Alvaro Uribe`s re-election after a constitutional change that allowed him to run for a second term. "However, later in 2006 information emerged that seemed to provide proof of long-rumored links between paramilitaries and government officials." Continuing probes found paramilitary influence in most other organs of the state, even the military, the analysis said.