The Putin System: An Opposing View

256 Pages·2019·1.034 MB·English

by  Grigory Yavlinsky

The
P U T I N
S Y S T E M
An
O P P O S I N G
V I E W
Grigor y Yavlinsky
THE PUTIN
SYSTEM

TH E
PUTI N
SYSTE M
AN OPPOSING VIEW
GRIGORY YAVLINSKY
Columbia University Press New York
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup .columbia . edu
English translation © 2019 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
First published in the Russian as Periferijnyj avtoritarizm: Kak i kuda prishla
Rossija (Moscow: Medium Publishers, 2015).
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: #vlinski(cid:35), G. (Grigori(cid:35)), author.
Title: The Putin system : an opposing view / Grigory Yavlinsky.
Other titles: Periferi(cid:35)ny(cid:35) avtoritarizm. English
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, [2018] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018028372 | ISBN 9780231190305 (cloth : acid- free paper) |
ISBN 9780231548823 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Russia (Federation)— Politics and government—1 991– |
Political culture— Russia (Federation) | Public administration—
Russia (Federation) | Authoritarianism— Russia (Federation)
Classification: LCC JN6695 .I36813 2018 | DDC 320.947— dc23
LC record available at https: //lccn . loc .gov /2018028372
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent
and durable acid- free paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design: Noah Arlow
To my brave and faithful comrades- in- arms
in Russian politics
1

CONTENTS
Preface to the English Translation ix
Acknowledgments xxi
1 The Political System of Putin’s Russia and
Its Significance for World Affairs 1
2 Russia Today: The History of How and
Why It Came to Be 17
3 Authoritarianism on the Periphery: Understanding
Russia’s Political System and How It Works 65
4 The Future of Autocracy in Russia: What Do We Have
to Tolerate (and for How Long)? 133
5 In Lieu of a Conclusion 187
Afterword: 2018 and the Imperative for Change 193
Notes 205
Index 213

PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH
TRANSLATION
I
n this book, which builds upon more than a quarter century
of my work as both a practicing politician and a scholarly ana-
lyst of Russia’s development, I trace the resurgence and con-
solidation of authoritarian rule in post-S oviet Russia, first under
Boris Yeltsin and then under his appointed successor, Vladimir
Putin. I make the case for characterizing this regime as a periph-
eral one, and I do so for two major reasons. First, Russia con-
tinues to demonstrate economic and psychological dependence
upon leading industrial powers, primarily the United States and
Germany, which form the developed core of the world economic
system. Second, many of Russia’s policies stem from its leader-
ship’s resentment over being treated as a peripheral player, pro-
gressively marginalized within most international institutions
and their decision- making on major global and regional issues.
I am fully aware that this argument appears to defy some of
the basic elements of the narrative, put forth by mainstream
Western media and by policy makers, about Russia as a power-
ful key player, not just in the world but also in American domes-
tic affairs. In fact, I concur with the view that the Russian gov-
ernment’s involvement in the affairs of the Western world in
recent years may have had an impact on these societies that has