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| PRESIDENT PUTIN | |
 March 2000 
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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, take your questions.
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Putin has many challenges ahead in his tenure as the Russian leader. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, crime has soared in Russia. In addition to organized crime overwhelming law enforcement, Russia's homicide rate is among the world's highest. News reports from Moscow indicate that voters are hoping a strong leader can take hold of the situation. Experts say much of the crime problem is rooted in the collapse of the Russian economy, which also coincided with the fall of the Soviet empire in 1991. Since then, state-run industries have tried to adapt to free market competition, often with little success. With decreased industrial output, some workers wait months between paychecks. The desperate state of the economy has led to the problem of "capital flight." In addition, wealthier Russians and organized crime groups increasingly hide their money outside the country to avoid taxes or simply protect it. Unrest and civil war in the Caucuses have heightened fears of further instability. What do you think is the state of Russian democracy, nearly a decade after the fall of the Soviet Union? What can Putin do about these problems? Is he the right man to handle this job? 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, take your questions.
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On
March 26, Russian voters elected Acting President Vladimir Putin to
the formal presidency. He beat his nearest rival, Communist Gennady
Zyuganov, by approximately 24 percentage points, avoiding a run-off
election.
