PRESIDENT PUTIN

March 2000
		After several months as acting president of Russia, Vladimir Putin has been formally elected to the country's presidency. Can he bring needed reforms to Russian democracy? Anna Vassilieva, Associate Professor of Russian studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, Steven Solnick, Associate Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, and Eva Busza, Assistant Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary, respond to your questions.

Forum introduction Could Putin turn toward more authoritarian methods of government? Will Russia's business climate improve? How will Putin direct Russia's foreign affairs? Can Putin restore Russia's national pride? How does Putin compare to Russia's past leadership?     Online Special: Politics in Russia March 27, 2000 Three experts discuss what Putin's election win means for Russia. March 24, 2000 Vladimir Putin leads in the polls a day before the election. Complete NewsHour coverage of Europe   The Library of Congress's Russia study Russian government Russian Embassy in Washington The College of William and Mary Columbia University The Monterey Institute for International Studies

Michael Simon of Swanville, Maine asks: Putin faces a nearly impossible task to simultaneously create a free economy and teach his nation to use it. He may be successful and patient, but he could lose patience with the economy and turn increasingly toward authoritarian methods. Do you think this is a likely outcome?   Eva Busza responds: I think that it is not an either/or situation. First, I would point out that Putin's comments suggest he leans towards a degree of government regulation. In otherwords, he is not advocating the rapid adoption of a completely free economy--rather the adoption of gradual liberalizing reforms. Second, he has seems to have equated economic development with political order and a crackdown on crime. In my view, in his attempt to catalyze economic growth he is likely to use authoritarian methods. How far he will go in this direction, will depend primarily on the tolerance of the Russian citizenry and secondarily on the reaction of the international community.   Steven Solnick responds: His nation is further along toward a free market than we might think--so far along that not even the Communist Party advocates renationalization or re-establishment of a centrally planned economy. The bigger problem in Russia these days is the bloated an corrupt Russian bureaucracy. The Russian market is fragmented into regional economies that impede the flow of goods, people and investment across the country, and the national government has proven itself too corrupt to create a level playing field. In combating corruption, Putin may face the greatest temptations to resort to authoritarian means...and his background in the KGB does not seem to have left him with a deep respect for the value of individual rights. Putin, based on interviews with him published during the campaign, seems clearly to be someone who believes that the needs of the state are more important than the rights of the individual. If his economic reforms proceed slowly, or his anti-corruption drive bogs down, his instinct may well tell him to move more harshly "for the good of the country."   Anna Vassilieva responds: I believe that most Russians today are looking for a strong (even authoritarian) leadership to take charge and cleanse the system of corruption and other extreme forms of abuse that they have observed over the last several years. In this sense, they welcome Putin as someone who has the experience, style, and determination to respond to this perceived need. "Authoritarianism" should be used against those elements, including government bureaucrats and politicians as well as the so-called "oligarchs" who intervene in the political process to pursue personal interests, who the average Russian sees as corrupt and unaccountable to them. It should not be used against the people but against the ills of the system. "Fairness" is a very important principle and "dictatorship of law," if applied fairly and for the majority of the people, will be a welcome element of Putin's leadership.