Russia
Though no longer a Cold War rival, Russia continues to pose immense challenges for the United States. The Kremlin’s perception of Russia as an “independent pole in a multi-polar world” often results in Russian policies that place the country at odds with the West. Russia’s current political elites are determined to prevent—and in some cases roll back—color revolutions in the former Soviet Union. They fear that successful democratization on Russia’s periphery will rouse similar demands at home. Regardless, the Kremlin’s ineffective authoritarian governance has stimulated a wave of large-scale protests in recent months that likely mark the beginning of Russia’s transition away from the Vladimir Putin era.
Discover Russia Content
-
FILTER BY DATEAll Time
-
-
FILTER BY RELEVANCEMost Recent
-
-
FILTER BY CONTENT TYPEAll Content Types
-
The conviction and sentencing of Russian activist Alexei Navalny this week sends a stark message: Any organized civil resistance to Vladimir Putin’s rule, be it to corruption or authoritarianism, no matter how peaceful and constructive, will be crushed mercilessly.
Watch the latest video at <a href="http://video.foxnews.com" mce_href="http://video.foxnews.com">video.foxnews.com</a>
Dr. Leon Aron reviews Masha Gessen’s biography of Vladimir Putin, The Man Without A Face, and further meditates on Putin’s political career and ambitions.
Civil unrest, no matter where it takes place, is always difficult to assess. Evaluating the prospects for Russia's "new" protesters, who began to mobilize en masse after fraudulent State Duma elections in December 2011, and the civil society from which they sprang is no exception.
President Obama's belated acknowledgment that Syria's regime has used chemical weapons effectively forced his decision on Thursday to arm the opposition. Whether Mr. Obama's U-turn alters the conflict's course is a different question.
Left in the ruble of civil society in Russia are only stagnation, hatred, and radicalism. Left behind is scorched earth, incapable of upholding democratic institutions, when this regime falls or implodes – just as happened after the fall of the Soviet Union.
In late May, Sergei Guriev, a prominent Russian economist and dean of Moscow's prestigious New Economic School, fled Russia fearing imminent arrest. His crime? Being critical of the Putin regime.
Every assault on civil society is a tragedy for Russia. Nongovernmental organizations are, first and foremost, schools of democracy, teaching personal responsibility, self-organization, peaceful dissent and compromise. Left in their rubble are stagnation, hatred and radicalism.
