Carnegie Moscow Center
Russia’s recovery from the global economic crisis has been slow, constrained by a number of economic and political structural problems. Until they are resolved, these issues will continue to hinder Russia’s development.
Public confidence in Russia's ruling tandem has plummeted to record lows, and a majority now believes their country is headed in the wrong direction. The country needs reform, but it may be too late for the system to save itself.
Alexander Lukashenko may have won a fourth term as president of Belarus, but he now faces both an opposition capable of mass mobilization and international partners in Europe and Russia that are growing tired of paying to maintain his status quo.
The use and misuse of history as a tool for political competition and control has become an increasingly visible phenomenon in public and political life in Russia and other post-Soviet countries over recent years.
The person who is chosen to replace ousted Moscow Mayor Luzhkov is less important than the extent to which the new City Hall changes its relationship with Moscow's citizens, business community, and its political opponents.
Russia needs Europe’s technological resources to maintain its current economic and political system. Europe, however, wants its investment in Russia to lead to long-term institutional reform in Moscow.
Lifting visa requirements on travel from Russia to the European Union is likely to bring Russian citizens further into the institutional, normative, and cultural pathways of Europe.
The Kremlin’s control over the media may allow Russia’s elites to avoid the immediate consequences of the recent metro bombings, but if the security problem is not resolved, the current authorities will face growing calls for accountability.
Russian policy makers need to open space for public debate and engage in substantive discussions on critical global issues, and Western governments and institutions need to open the door to independent Russian voices.
As the world headed to Copenhagen to talk about climate change, Russians were largely silent on the subject; by most accounts, the average Russian citizen doesn’t think about global warming at all.