Navalny was so charicatured by the West that it is impossible for those of us outside Russia to judge how much of a threat he was, and specifically how much, if at all, better than Putin he would have been.

Be that as it may, I 100% agree with you that jailing your opponents is a sign of weakness, NOT a sign of strength.

This supports my theory that Putin is not the all-powerful dictator he is portrayed as in the West. If he was, he wouldn't feel the need (real or not) to jail his opponents.