Response #2

The new Russia under Putin’s rule has considerably changed both domestically and internationally. Putin is indeed an autocratic ruler. Hasner starts out by saying, “no matter how dubious public opinions polls or how rigged elections are in Russia, a majority of the people still support Putin” (3). One reason for this, and something that I found quite interesting in this article, could be the concept of deception. It is a predominant strategy that is used by Putin that seeks to “maintain the appearance of democracy while progressively emptying democratic institutions of their content” (4). This is also known as “virtual” or “imitation” democracy. Another reason that the people may feel the need to support Putin is because even though he has done a poor job of creating institutions, civil society, and a rule of law, he has improved Russians’ economic status. Putin at times also showed genuine support the United States, especially in cooperating with terrorism and his immediate offer to support the US after 9/11.

But after 2003, this relationship changed dramatically. And Hassner points out that the evolution of Putin’s policies is heading in the wrong direction. A key aspect of this idea is that many of his policies are strongly reminiscent of fascism. Putin has eliminated any rival centers of power and has also engaged in the “personality cult” by proclaiming himself “leader of the nation.” Post Communist Russia is becoming more and more authoritarian, and it is also showing greater hostility towards its neighbors—Estonia and Georgia, and especially the West. Putin thought that by converting towards democracy Russia would automatically become a duopoly, but that is not the case. I think that Dmitri Trenin sums it when he states, “what Russia craves is respect. It does not want to be a junior partner—it wants to be an equal” (7).