As the economic crisis continues to impact Russia, economist Yegor Gaidar argues that Russia must democratize to avoid serious social clashes.
Gaidar, the director of the Institute for the Economy in Transition, describes two options authorities may take to curb protest: wide-scale repression, or democratization. The former could lead to unrest and even revolution. Yet whether Russian authorities are willing or capable of doing the latter remains open to heated debate.
Gaidar’s piece first appeared in the the Vedomosti newspaper on June 16th. Juncture: Russia Has Had Enough Revolutions (Rus).
“What is happening in our economy is having political consequences. Governing Russia when the population’s real income is rising 10% a year is a pleasant occupation. Under those conditions political repressions and voting manipulations are not needed to maintain power and popularity. Leading a country when the population’s real income is declining and the number of ...