The Russian Model.

AuthorHornblow, Michael
PositionBrief article

By Francis Fukuyama (Nitze School of Advanced International Studies)

"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."Winston Churchill, October 1939

In this most sensible article, Mr. Fukuyama notes that some in the West tend to view Russia through the eyes of jilted lovers. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, they hoped that Mother Russia would become a comfortable western style democracy, perhaps a big Holland or Sweden, and relinquish its imperial ambitions and focus instead on bringing peace and prosperity to its long suffering citizens. Thus some of the "peace dividend" was poured into a myriad of vehicles--enterprise funds and the like--designed to bring free markets and prosperity, and as the money flowed in from Western and international banks so did the experts and consultants. Much of their advice was heeded and became law, and many Russians began to prosper, some much more than others, and computers and internet surfers mushroomed as did cell phones.

Fukuyama describes this political model as a hybrid, something between the more democratic models of the...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT