Suchergebnisse

Abstract
Over the past thirty years, relations between Russia and the EU have gone from the idea of a 'Common European home' and 'the unification of everything except institutions' to periods of fading partnership, culminating in the post-Crimean crisis and the current systemic confrontation over geopolitics and values. Today, the EU and Russia seem to be irreconcilable in terms of values, domestic politics, and geopolitical approaches. For the time being, the most likely scenario for EU-Russia relations will be tense coexistence with cooperation restricted by a climate of general mistrust. The best prospects for constructive cooperation will come from a common commitment to pragmatic 'neighborliness'. Nevertheless, given the turbulence and unpredictability of international politics a return to "Greater European" integration cannot be entirely ruled out. The fundamental conditions for such a rapprochement still exist, though critical internal processes and external issues need to be resolved before this process can begin.

Abstract: The author analyses the defeat of two Russian democratic parties on 2003 parliamentary elections. If the Russian people turned away from political freedom, then the democracy in Russia is in danger. If it is about the defeat of individual politicians, then one can take a deep breath and start getting ready for the new election cycle. Finding the answer to this question the author states that the movement to freedom in Russia is going to be continued very soon after a short soft-authoritarian breathing space. This statement is well reasoned and based on the social researches and a deep understanding of the Russian electors' psychology.

Intro -- Foreword: The Russian Path - From Enigma to an Understanding -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Major Ideas of Russian Reforms -- Orthodox-Communist Ideas -- Reformist-Socialist Ideas -- Market-Capitalist Ideas -- National-Patriotic and Imperial Ideas -- In Lieu of Conclusions -- Chapter 2. The Process of Reforms and the Influence of Interest Groups -- The Economic Reform of Perestroika -- Yeltsin and Gaidar's Economic Reforms -- Problems of the Post-Reform Economy in Russia -- Intermediate Conclusions -- Chapter 3. The Historical Path and the Slowdown of Changes -- A Patient More Dead than Alive -- A Patient More Alive than Dead -- Not an Ordinary, but a Permanent Revolution -- The NEP in Hostile Surroundings -- Chapter 4. The Reforms of the 1990s and Modern Institutions -- The Law Enforcement System in Present-day Russia -- "Expropriation of the Expropriators" in a New Way -- The Consequences of Inefficient Institutions for Russia -- A Post-Communist Mafia State -- The Predominance of State Paternalism -- Chapter 5. Public Illusions and Russian Realities -- Illusions of the Past -- A New Era, New Illusions -- The Crimean Problem -- The Empire's "Divorce" with the Nation -- Chapter 6. Bad Governance in Russia: A Vicious Circle? -- Introduction: Russia's Greatest Rent Machine -- Bad Governance in the Making -- "Bad Governance": Why? -- The Long Arm of the Past? -- The Power Vertical as a Mechanism of Bad Governance -- Chapter 7. Policy versus Politics: Technocratic Traps of Post-Soviet Reform -- The Technocratic Trap: Dictators, "Viziers" and "Eunuchs" -- The Origins of Post-Soviet Technocracy -- Technocracy at Work: Reforms in the Crossfire -- "Borrowing" and "Cultivating" Institutions: Any Possibility of Success? -- Alternatives to Technocracy: from Bad to Worse? -- Conclusion.