Carnegie Moscow Center
While the world waits for a Fourth Wave of Democracy, it is witnessing a diametrically different phenomenon: a surge of new authoritarianism.
Shifts in Russia’s foreign policy following Putin’s return to power result from significant changes in the country’s domestic situation and a shifting global environment.
The Russian and Chinese states are trying to use Snowden, as well as Assange, to discredit liberal democracies—above all, the United States. The Kremlin also sees the Snowden case as a way to crack down on democratic freedoms inside of Russia.
The causes and nature of the Russian and Turkish protests, as well as the respective regimes’ reactions to them, are strikingly similar.
Putin does not want a collision with the West, but at the same time he wants to contain the West both within and around Russia.
Russia is re-emerging as a power in the Middle East. Yet Moscow’s objectives today are vastly different.
In order to develop an effective strategic approach toward Russia, Europeans must deepen their understanding of the changing Russian realities.
A long-term development strategy for the Russian eastern territories must address critical internal and external challenges, not just focus on repelling external threats.
Today, the two predominant political and social models—authoritarianism and liberal democracy—are experiencing simultaneous crises.
Russia is clearly concerned with the rise of Islamist extremists in the Middle East and is looking for ways to prevent destabilization in the region. At the same time, it is seeking to improve ties with various Arab countries.