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Russian protesters hail from a new generation who are tired of Vladimir Putin’s regime. Given Putin’s refusal to give up power and the impending presidential elections, further unrest is likely.
Fed up with a closed political system dominated by one man, Russia’s privileged class has taken to the streets to protest against Putin’s regime.
Putin’s chances of hanging onto power in Russia are good, but he will need to accept a more open and competitive electoral process to avoid further alienating those who are sympathetic to the protest movement.
If the growing Russian popular movement remains committed and tenacious, organized political challenges to Vladimir Putin’s power will eventually follow.
Although many Russians are upset with government corruption and the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections, the majority of middle class Russians are unlikely to mobilize and take to the streets.
Excessive U.S. criticism of Russian domestic politics reinforces mutual suspicions between Moscow and Washington and threatens to undo the “reset” initiated in 2009 by presidents Obama and Medvedev.
Twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia face a number of shared challenges, including weak rule of law, entrenched corruption, and incomplete democratization.
Ordinary Armenians, Azeris, Georgians, and Abkhaz are growing increasingly estranged from each other as nationalist narratives continue to overshadow local examples of peaceful co-existence.
The political turmoil in Russia, though not directly affecting the economic landscape, could expose vulnerabilities in the Russian economy if nervous foreign investors continue to retreat.
While security conditions in Europe remain relatively benign, NATO states should recapitalize their security commitments and clarify their crisis decisionmaking procedures.
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