Medvedev's Presidency
As Putin’s successor, Medvedev operates within the inherited, clannish framework of “overmanaged democracy”, while Putin retains significant influence, now as a prime minister. The emergence of a second power center creates further uncertainty in a political system that faces inevitable change, driven by the myriad of social and economic challenges the country faces. Of particular importance is the strengthening and modernization of Russia’s weakened institutions.
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Translations
- Русский
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A Messy Playing Field for United Russia
Current economic, social and political conditions are more likely to push Russian voters toward opposition candidates than United Russia’s candidates, with potentially significant ramifications for the ruling party.
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Medvedev's Climate Moment
The wildfires and heat wave that recently ravaged central Russia brought climate change to the forefront of the country’s domestic agenda and provide the Kremlin with an opportunity to prove its commitment to energy efficiency as well as economic modernization.
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Putin's Perestroika Experiment in Kaliningrad
The Kremlin’s decision not to nominate Kaliningrad Governor Georgy Boos to serve a second term was a response to large scale popular demonstrations and the complaints of the opposition.
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Irregular Triangle: State-Business-Society Relations in Russia’s Regions
Relations between the state, business and society in Russia are fragmented. Interconnected, three-way dialogues between these three groups are practically nonexistent.
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Russia's Response to the Global Financial Crisis
While Russia’s short-term economy will largely depend on oil prices and the country’s demographic challenges, its medium-to-long-term outlook will be influenced by the lessons that leaders take from the crisis, which will affect Russia’s economic structure and policies for many years to come.
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Overmanaged Democracy in Russia: Governance Implications of Hybrid Regimes
While autocratic governments that incorporate elements of democracy may be stable in the short term, such systems cannot be sustained in the long term. In Russia’s case, the system is unlikely to survive Putin himself.
Featured Event
Five Years in Moscow: Impressions and Reflections of the Danish Ambassador
Europe encompasses more than just the European Union; Russians are Europeans as well. As Russia continues to evolve, it needs wide-ranging efforts at modernization, and the European Union can certainly help. Yet Russia needs to work with the entirety of the EU, not only its larger members.
Experts
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Nikolay Petrov
Petrov has served as chief organizer of the Analysis and Forecast Division in the Supreme Soviet, adviser and analyst for the Russian Presidential Administration, and scholar at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. -
Lilia Shevtsova
Shevtsova was deputy director of the Moscow Institute of International Economic and Political Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and director of the Center of Political Studies in Moscow.