Dilemmas of Post-Communist Russia
Abstract
Dilemmas of Post- Communist Russia LILIA SHEVTSOVA* Carnegie Endowmentfor International Peace, Moscow 1. INTRODUCTION T mHE QUESTION 'Whither Russia?' provokes emotional discussions. Optimists persist in their conviction that Russia has 'turned the corner' and is headed towards liberal democracy. Some even try to prove that this goal has already been achieved. Sceptics, no less energetically, predict a gloomy future. But the political and economic situation is much more compli- cated than the optimists or sceptics suggest. 2. THE HYBRID REGIME Despite the remaining uncertainties in Russian political life, the political re- gime has achieved a high degree of consolidation and the ruling class has been formed. This is one of the most important achievements of Russian post- communist transformation. Today, we can observe the process of creating the rules of the game that this regime will follow. The Russian political system does not fit into traditional democratic or authoritarian models. It is partially rooted in the Soviet and even pre-Soviet past, but it has also acquired some new qualities. It continues to remain a hybrid of principles and tendencies that are often polar opposites. Here we see the struggle and interaction of democracy, despotism, authoritari- anism, paternalism, populism,