How do civil society organizations operate in the authoritarian environment of Vladimir Putin’s “sovereign democracy?”  To what extent are they able to further their causes despite pervasive corruption and the rule of courts that take their cues from the Kremlin?

The coming cycle is well worth our attention, not because of the results but because of the political, social and economic contexts in which these elections are going to take place. This cycle is quite different from the three preceding ones, in 2000, 2004 and 2008. And therefore, what might happen after the election could be quite different as well.

Drudge is leading with Obama’s revealing open mike chat with outgoing Russian President Medvedev. Here’s the whole convo, courtesy of abcnews.

The former KGB man has never believed in democracy, and the West should stop pretending it does not matter.

The Kremlin’s most recent response to U.S. and NATO missile defense plans in Europe crosses any and all lines associated with both statecraft and logic. Still, some view comments made by Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov as simply more of the same. Speaking at an international missile defense...

Media inquiries: Véronique Rodmanvrodman@aei.org (202.862.4870)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 26, 2007

No one really knows whether Russian president Vladimir Putin's recent announcement that he would not be averse to becoming the next prime minister, after the March 2 presidential election will actually come to be....

Though no longer a Cold War rival, Russia continues to pose immense challenges for the United States. The Kremlin’s perception of Russia as an “independent pole in a multi-polar world” often results in Russian policies that place the country at odds with the West. Russia’s current political elites are determined to prevent—and in some cases roll back—color revolutions in the former Soviet Union. They fear that successful democratization on Russia’s periphery will rouse similar demands at home. Regardless, the Kremlin’s ineffective authoritarian governance has stimulated a wave of large-scale protests in recent months that likely mark the beginning of Russia’s transition away from the Vladimir Putin era.

When Vladimir Putin returns to the Russian presidency on Monday, May 7, the pageantry surrounding his inauguration will aim to portray a picture of unassailable strength, a confident master of his domain invulnerable to pressures from within or without. But things are not quite as stable...