Country: Russia | Page 2 | Journal of Democracy

The Russian dissident journalist and activist knew if he returned to Russia he would be imprisoned or worse. But he was plagued by one question that compelled him to go.

Why Does the Kremlin Bother Holding Sham Elections?

Margarita Zavadskaya

Everyone knows that Russia’s election is a fraud. The problem is no dictator ever feels safe enough, and Putin thinks even a fake election will signal to his cronies that he’s still in charge.

Why Vladimir Putin Is Still Afraid to Say Alexei Navalny’s Name

Vladimir Milov

Russia’s dictator lives in fear. He knows the Russian people don’t support him. He can’t even muster a street rally without bribes or threats. No number of fake elections will change that.

Why Putin Isn’t Forever

Damon Wilson

The Kremlin’s political theater shouldn’t be mistaken for an election or symbol of stability. It’s a sign of Putin’s weakness and the country’s descent into a deeper tyranny.

Why Ukraine Is Starting to Lose

Zoltan Barany

Putin doesn’t care how many of his troops die. He is looking to win a war of attrition. On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine needs the West’s help—and it needs it now.

“I Have No Doubts That Navalny Was Killed on Putin’s Orders.”

Zhanna Nemtsova

Alexei Navalny was one of the bravest and most influential political leaders of our time. His assassination should be a wake-up call for Western democracies.

The Legacy of a True Russian Patriot

Lucian Kim

Alexei Navalny loved Russia and was willing to risk everything for it. It is hard to grasp the magnitude of his death for his people and his country.

Why Alexei Navalny Mattered in Life and Still Matters in Death

Kathryn Stoner

Vladimir Putin may have imprisoned, tortured, and killed the brilliant opposition leader, but even now Navalny is a threat to the corrupt autocracy he has built.

The World Has Become Flatter for Authoritarian Regimes

Christopher Walker

They are benefiting from a world that has grown more hostile for democracy and human rights. But it doesn’t need to be the case. Democracies need to double down on their own competitive advantage.

Stop Trying to “Defeat” Russia and China

Moscow and China pose a great danger to the democratic world. But they pose threats that need to be managed, not won. Every great foreign-policy battle doesn’t end with a decisive victory.

Why He May Soon Be Remembered as “Putin the Weak”

Michael McFaul

The Russian autocrat wanted to go down in history on par with Russia’s greatest leaders. He is increasingly looking like one of its weakest.

This Is Not the End of Putin’s Troubles

Kathryn Stoner

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion has exposed the fundamental instability of Putinism.

Putin Just Learned Why You Don’t Trust Mercenaries

Zoltan Barany

The Russian autocrat forgot an age-old truth about working with common criminals and soldiers for hire.

Believe Nothing Putin or Prigozhin Tell You

Andrei Kozyrev

In the days ahead, the West must remain calm—and redouble its support for Ukraine.

Putin’s Formula for Ruling Russia Is Failing

Robert Person

The Russian autocrat’s system of control has rested on pillars that are beginning to crumble.

Putin’s War of Recolonization

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t just another land grab. It’s an attempt to recolonize lost empire, and threatens to return us to the age of conquest.

Why Vladimir Putin’s Luck Ran Out

Michael McFaul

For twenty years, the Russian autocrat enjoyed a string of good fortune in coming to power and cementing his rule. He had raised Russia’s standing in the world. Then he invaded Ukraine.

How the World Stands Up to Putin

His military didn’t just fail. Ordinary Ukrainians, Russians, and people across the globe are creatively and nonviolently protesting Putin’s war on Ukraine, and they are making a difference.

Putin’s Other Failed War

Roman Badanin

The Russian leader declared war on his country’s independent journalists. But Russian media outsmarted him by taking their operations overseas. They are now reaching more people than ever before.

In 2022, we began publishing shorter, exclusively online pieces. No topic mattered more to you than Russia’s disastrous war in Ukraine. We also published essays from the sharpest minds on protests in China and Iran, instability in Pakistan, and more.

Putin’s Big Gamble

Robert Person

The Kremlin’s order to call up Russians to fight in Ukraine risks massive protests. It’s the riskiest decision of Putin’s rule, and it could lead to his undoing.

What Does a Humiliated Putin Mean for Russia?

Timothy J. Colton

While widespread violence or civil war was averted, the consequences for Russia—and Putin—could be grave.

Why Putin Must Be Defeated

Andrei Kozyrev

The more determined democracies are to avoid war, the greater the risk that autocracies will wage it.

How Putin’s War in Ukraine Has Ruined Russia

Kathryn Stoner

In a matter of weeks, the Russian autocrat has erased his country’s prosperity in a feckless attempt to rebuild a doomed empire.

Putin’s Incredible Shrinking Victory Parade

Olexiy Minakov

How does a Russian autocrat celebrate Victory Day while losing a war? Expect lies, myths, and propaganda.

Defeating Putin in Ukraine Is Vital to the Future of Democracy

David J. Kramer

Why we must tackle the threat posed by Putin and his authoritarianism head on.

Will Putin Outlast the War?

Maria Snegovaya

Russia’s autocrat may be weakened, but his grip on power is greater than many people realize.

Why Putin’s Days Are Numbered

Vladimir Milov

The system that Russia’s autocrat built wasn’t designed to survive the pressures it is now facing.

What Putin Fears Most

Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.

Dangerous Diplomacy: Why Placating Putin Now Could Doom Ukrainian Democracy Later

If the West forces Kyiv to accept Putin’s diplomatic terms, he will have succeeded without firing a shot.

Authoritarianism Goes Global: The Challenge to Democracy

In recent years, as leading authoritarian countries such as China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela have become emboldened within the global arena, challenging the liberal international political order, the advanced democracies have retreated rather than responding to this threat.

Democracy after Communism

Is the challenge of building and consolidating democracy under postcommunist conditions unique, or can one apply lessons learned from other new democracies? The essays collected in this volume explore these questions, while tracing how the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have fared in the decade following the fall of communism.