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Russia’s Push for Democracy
September 24th, 2009
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly

In July 2009, as part of the Obama administration’s strategy to revise its foreign policy, President Obama traveled to Moscow in an effort to mend relations with Russia.  In a press release from the Center for International Private Enterprise, Obama announced the two countries could work together to “strengthen governance, integrity and transparency in Russia.”  According to an article by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russia’s President, Dmitry Medvedev, believes cooperation with the Obama administration will result in positive outcomes for both countries.  Although U.S.-Russia relations are improving, the Russian government has recently passed legislation to strengthen their military presence in Georgia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia, effectively violating a cease-fire agreement that was brokered by the European Union.  Russian critics are skeptical to declare that progress has been made between the U.S. and Russia, noting that Russia’s stance on the majority of these issues remains unchanged.

In an interview with CNN, Medvedev stated that he intends to implement democratic reforms that will surpass the reforms that Russia saw in the early 1990s.  Medvedev’s political policies favor the modernization of Russia’s infrastructure, focusing on pulling the country out of its current economic downturn.  The New York Times reports that Medvedev also has criticized the amount of state governance in daily life, identifying these conditions as “a semi-Soviet social sphere.”  The amount of control that the state exercises creates a problem because it impedes the development of further democratic practices.  Additionally, Medvedev cites corruption from powerful businessmen as one of the principal obstacles in developing a competitive multiparty political system in addition to the declining Russian economy.

However, critics view the Russian government as backsliding, reverting to undemocratic political practices.  In 2004, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin changed the process of how governors were elected.  Formally, governors were elected to office by direct popular vote. Now the president must approve of potential governors before being placed on a ballot.  The New York Times asserts that Medvedev’s and Putin’s political agendas have been diverging for months.  Medvedev favors a “liberal approach to politics” while Putin continues to favor a more conservative political agenda.

Sources:
The New York Times - Medvedev Laments Russia's Democracy, Economy
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/11/world/AP-EU-Russia-Medvedevs-Lament.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=russia%20democracy&st=cse

The Wall Street Journal - Medvedev Blasts Russian System
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125304798636513405.html

Reuters - Medvedev targets Russia's weaknesses, pledges change
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-42372820090910

CNN - Russian president denies Putin has all the power
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/09/18/russia.medvedev/index.html#cnnSTCText

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) - Russia-U.S. Joint Working Group on Investment and Institutional Integrity Presents Recommendations to President Obama
http://www.cdi.org/russia/Johnson/2009-131-17.cfm

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - How Obama's Russia 'Reset' Is Playing On The Ground In Europe
http://www.rferl.org/content/How_Obamas_Russia_Reset_Is_Playing/1817684.html