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Politics and Putin: A Look at Russia
Michael Williams ‘04
 World
renowned Russian scholar and author Dr. Lilia Shevtsova visited Villanova
on March 25. Her lecture, titled “Putin’s Leadership: Opportunities
and Constraints,” demarcated the major political issues facing Russia
today, from the state of the Russian government to the war in Iraq. She
also dedicated some time to answering questions about her widely read
books, Yeltsin’s Russia, and Putin’s Russia.
“Sometimes style is a profession,” said Shevtsova when referring
to Russian President Putin. When Putin came to power, he defied a lot
of people’s expectations. He shirked the generally held image that
he was former Russian president Yeltsin’s lap dog and put in a new
regime based on power structures and the state of bureaucracy. In addition,
he worked toward centralization of government power, while Yeltsin relied
heavily on fragmentation of said power.
According to Shevtsova, Putin’s presidency has been marked by two
major breakthroughs. The first breakthrough was marked by the restoration
of economic and judicial reforms through various measures such as tax
cuts, and gradually curving the power of the beauracracy. The second major
breakthrough was realigning Russia with the west through a radical post-9/11
western shift marked by Putin’s now famous call to President Bush
where he stated the simple but powerful words “Americans, we are
with you.”
However, despite all of his success and popularity, there is a very strange
paradox at work in which Putin is becoming more powerless as he gains
more power. As a result of his centralization of government power, Putin
has been held personally responsible for all the failures of the Russian
bureaucrats. Instead of acting in the best interest of themselves and
their various positions, these bureaucrats often act as if their hands
are tied and wait for Putin to handle everything from the top. Therefore,
according to Shevtsova, “[Putin’s] omnipotence promotes irresponsibility
on all levels of government.”
Putin’s power and popularity in and of themselves also seems to
stand on very shaky ground. “Basically, the economic and political
stability enjoyed under Putin’s presidency can be traced to two
things; high oil prices and high presidential rating,” said Shevtsova.
Although many in Russia support Putin and his practices, they still view
him as a failure and a large degree of the trust that they put in him
appears to be from a lack of a viable alternative.
With the war on Iraq continuing there are a number of players on the world
stage, said Shevtsova and Russia is one of those players. However, because
of various factors including an anti-American elite and large trade dependence
on powers in Europe that do not support the war, Russia is reluctant to
send troops or aid to the American-initiative.
Currently, said Shevtsova, Russia is in a state of stagnation as far as
their political sphere. They are stuck in a hybrid regime best described
as delegative democracy that falls somewhere between authoritarianism
and true democracy. Although it could mean political suicide, Putin needs
to “rock the boat” and open a new chapter in Russian history
through a radical transformation and liberal reform. If he takes the risk
to put his plans into full action, he will become a major innovator and
establish his role and presidency as an important beginning for Russia.
Otherwise, she believes he will simply be another footnote in Russian
history.
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