Putin's Post-Election Dilemma

{
  "authors": [
    "Matthew Rojansky"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform"
  ]
}

In The Media

Putin's Post-Election Dilemma

As he returns to the presidency, Putin must prove to the Russian protestors that he has heard their voices and demands for reform.

By Matthew Rojansky

Published on Mar 5, 2012

Source: Russia Today

In an interview with Russia Today, Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky argued that many in the United States see Putin as “a symbol of the past” and someone who stands “on the wrong side of history in backing Bashar Assad.” He added that the “opposition in Russia comes in many different flavors,” including what he called the “moral opposition” that opposes Putin’s system but remains reluctant to organize politically.

Turning to the protests, Rojansky explained that Putin can no longer afford to ignore this increasingly outspoken constituency and must “show them [protestors] that he has heard their voices.” Putin argues that he brought stability to Russia, but Russian citizens “realize that the work of building the Russian state and building the Russian economy was not on Putin’s back alone,” Rojansky concluded.

About the Author

Matthew Rojansky

Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program

Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.

Recent Work

Paper
An Opportunity for Ambition: Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship
- Matthew Rojansky
In The Media
Presiding Over the OSCE: Challenges and Opportunities
- Matthew Rojansky

Political Reform Caucasus Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Russia Is Meddling for Meddling’s Sake in the Middle East
The Russian leadership wants to avoid a dangerous precedent in which it is squeezed out of Iran by the United States and Israel—and left powerless to respond in any meaningful way.
Nikita Smagin
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Is Frustration With Armenia’s Pashinyan Enough to Bring the Pro-Russia Opposition to Power?
It’s true that many Armenians would vote for anyone just to be rid of Pashinyan, whom they blame for the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, but the pro-Russia opposition is unlikely to be able to channel that frustration into an electoral victory.
Mikayel Zolyan
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Will Hungary’s New Leader Really Change EU Policy on Russia and Ukraine?
Orbán created an image for himself as virtually the only opponent of aid to Ukraine in the entire EU. But in reality, he was simply willing to use his veto to absorb all the backlash, allowing other opponents to remain in the shadows.
Maksim Samorukov
Commentary
Strategic Europe
How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps
Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.
Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Is There a Place for Russia in the New Race Back to the Moon?
Despite having the resources and expertise, the Russian space industry missed the opportunity to offer the United States or China a mutually rewarding partnership in the lunar race.
Georgy Trishkin

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Russia Is Meddling for Meddling’s Sake in the Middle East

The Russian leadership wants to avoid a dangerous precedent in which it is squeezed out of Iran by the United States and Israel—and left powerless to respond in any meaningful way.

Nikita Smagin

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Is Frustration With Armenia’s Pashinyan Enough to Bring the Pro-Russia Opposition to Power?

It’s true that many Armenians would vote for anyone just to be rid of Pashinyan, whom they blame for the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, but the pro-Russia opposition is unlikely to be able to channel that frustration into an electoral victory.

Mikayel Zolyan

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Will Hungary’s New Leader Really Change EU Policy on Russia and Ukraine?

Orbán created an image for himself as virtually the only opponent of aid to Ukraine in the entire EU. But in reality, he was simply willing to use his veto to absorb all the backlash, allowing other opponents to remain in the shadows.

Maksim Samorukov

Commentary

Strategic Europe

How to Join the EU in Three Easy Steps

Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, but they can’t just sit back and wait. To meet their 2030 accession ambitions, they must make a strong positive case.

Dimitar Bechev, Iliriana Gjoni

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Is There a Place for Russia in the New Race Back to the Moon?

Despite having the resources and expertise, the Russian space industry missed the opportunity to offer the United States or China a mutually rewarding partnership in the lunar race.

Georgy Trishkin