| ID | 183509 |
| Title Proper | Images of Russia in Western scholarship |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Gill, Graeme |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Initially Western scholars generally assumed that Russia would become a ‘normal’ democratic state, taking its place in the existing world order. They attributed this to Yeltsin's democratic credentials, but they could do so only by ignoring the clear flaws in Russian democracy as it developed under his presidency. This means that when Russia moved in a more authoritarian direction under Yeltsin’s successor Vladimir Putin, the explanation that most gave for this was the agency of Putin. He was seen as reinstating many of the elements of the Soviet legacy, including the role of the security apparatus. Putin’s rise was also seen as decisive in the shift of Russia’s international position from one seeking accommodation within the existing international architecture to one seeking to revise that architecture in ways objectionable to the West. The result is said to be a new cold war. But there is disagreement about how this should be understood: is Russia acting as a traditional great power, and therefore understandable through the established principles of international relations, or is she still claiming Soviet-style exceptionalism? What is clear, and many do not appreciate, is that even when Putin has gone, Russia’s core interests will likely not change. |
| `In' analytical Note | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 75, No.6; Dec 2021: p.637-649 |
| Journal Source | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol: 75 No 6 |
| Key Words | Democracy ; Russia ; Putin ; Soviet Legacy ; New Cold War |