Your Classwork for Today
The Russian Presidential elections have been held, and results coming in show Vladimir Putin leading with about 65% of the vote. If you pay any attention to the news, this should come as absolutely no surprise. There have been numerous accusations of unfair campaign practices, ballot stuffing, and other corrupt policies. Numerous international news sources, including Al-Jazeera, have published these claims. Putin has received congratulations from President al-Assad in Syria, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and Hu Jintao in China, all nations known for their extremely transparent democracies (yes, that is sarcasm, folks.) At first blush this seems like yet another perversion of the democratic process and a bad sign for Russia.
But let's stop and look at it.
Russia as a nation has always tended towards strong individual leadership. When the Mongols invaded the Rus in the 1200s, they awarded the title of Grand Duke to the Duchy that generated the most tax revenue. Moscow, as an up-and-coming river trade port, won this title consistently, establishing Moscow and its Grand Duke as the de facto ruler of Russia. These Grand Dukes eventually included such luminaries as Ivan III (The Great) and Ivan IV (The Terrible). These men built Russia to a great power, but mainly through a very strong central power and expansionist military policies.
This tendency towards expansionism is completely understandable. A people descended from Vikings, forged by Mongol rule, and living in one of the harsher climates in the world would have to develop an aggressive bent merely to avoid extinction. History is full of European powers who look East as an easy means to expand their empires, and the Far Eastern powers were often looking west. Any such militaristic group of people cannot help but to gravitate towards strong leaders, and this has shown itself throughout Russian history.
When the Bolsheviks overthrew the Tsar in 1917, it was arguably a matter of the people supporting another strong leader, Vladimir Lenin, over a then-weakened leader in Nicholas II. The reforms that Nicholas had been forced to accept in the aftermath of the Revolution of 1905 had weakened his position considerably and lost him the support of the people.
Despite the economic failures of the Soviet regime, Russia remained strong through the vast majority of the Cold War. Once Gorbachev came to power, he was able to open up the Soviet system, introduce some capitalism, and thaw the Cold War. Unfortunately, this once again painted him as a weak and unfocused leader, opening the way for an attempted coup in August 1991. Order was again restored by a strong and charismatic leader, Boris Yeltsin.
Yeltsin was unable to maintain a strong hold on the country, however, and the shock of a conversion to capitalism left the country mostly lawless, rampant with organized crime, and financially insolvent. The 1998 Russian Economic Crisis sounded the death knell for Yeltsin's government. At this point, a true Russian leader stepped in once again.
A former KGB Second Directorate (Counter-Intelligence) officer, Putin had grown up in communal apartments in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) and worked his way up through the system, eventually becoming a close associate of Anatoly Sobchak, Mayor of Leningrad. Putin resigned from the KGB after the failed coup against Gorbachev, and eventually turned that hard-line credibility into a political career, working his way up to Yeltsin's right-hand-man. In this position, he put a halt to further efforts to limit federal power, and eventually rescinded many of the limitations upon becoming president.
What does this history lesson have to do with this story?
Everything. Upon ascending to the Presidency, Putin's strong leadership led to a revivification of the Russian economy. By focusing on developing Russia's incredibly valuable natural resources, Putin dramatically improved the economy and stamped out a large amount of the lawlessness common in the 1990s. Measures to maintain stability have been draconian at times, particularly in Chechnya, but many Russians seem to prefer stability under the threat of oppression.
We have a tendency in America to view democracy and fair elections as the most important thing in the world. This is a dangerous view when applied to Russia. Since Putin has come to power, Russian GDP has surged, more than doubling during his first term. In addition, unemployment has been roughly halved. Despite a growing wealth disparity, Putin has led Russia to prosperity unseen since the end of the Cold War.
Beyond the domestic successes, Putin has brought Russia back onto the world stage. We see Russian policies as generally backward or dangerous, particularly in situation such as the Syrian conflict, where Russia is blocking UN intervention. It must be noted, however, that this ability to oppose action is mainly dependent on the stability of the Russian state. This stability is vital, as it provides another anchor internationally. When Russia was unstable, there were constant dangers of lost nuclear weapons and bio-war technology, often thought to be funneled towards rogue states and terrorist groups.
We cannot let our devotion to democratic principles blind us to the fact that a stable Russia is vital. Despite our differences in opinion, a strong Russian government is an entity that we can reasonably negotiate with. In the end, it is better to have the devil you know than the devil you don't
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