RECENTLY-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin has been depicted in the Western media as an ex-KGB enigma that threatens to return Russia to the horrors of secretive dictatorship. After all, he ran his presidential campaign without ever specifically outlining his political platform. He won primarily on his leadership in the Chechnyan conflict, and a general promise for stability and Russian greatness in the future. While the specifics of a Putin regime may remain unclear, Putin actually is not the mystery he first appeared to be.
To understand Putin, you must first understand the two major political debates in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union. The first debate, between the Atlanticists and the Eurasians, focuses largely on foreign policy. The Atlanticists argue that Russia is a part of Europe and the West. They favor economic integration with Europe as a path to developing the economy. Ideally, the Atlanticists would like to see Russia join organizations like the European Union.
The Eurasians, on the other hand, take pride in Russia's unique status as both a European and Asian nation. Often nationalistic, they argue that the West has been Russia's enemy in the past. The Eurasians often accuse the Atlanticists of pandering to the West, and enslaving Russia to foreign powers. Rather than tie Russia's fate to Europe, they would prefer to trade with Russia's "traditional" trading partners in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, as well as forge economic ties with the dynamic and upcoming Pacific Rim region.
The domestic debate is between the zapadniki (Westernizers) and the derzharniki (state power proponents). The zapadniki favor democracy and other Western institutions. They support having power concentrated in the Duma -- the Russian Congress -- and regional authorities, rather than a strong central leader. The Westernizers naturally are associated with the Atlanticists, as the Atlanticists tend to seek democratic changes at home to ease Russia's integration with Europe.
The derzharniki, on the other hand, view democracy as weakening Russia. While they still favor elections, they also support a strong central authority that is able to make accomplishments without interference from lesser authorities. The derzharniki believe that a strong central authority could have prevented the chaos and turmoil of the last few years, when Russia's central leadership was often asleep at the wheel. They typically are associated with the Eurasians, as both favor non-Western methods of making Russia great again.
The trick to Vladimir Putin is that he is both an Atlanticist and a derzharnik. In an interview with BBC reporter David Frost on March 5, Putin said, "Russia is a part of European culture, and I do not consider my own country in isolation from Europe and from ... what we often talk about as the civilized world." This statement clearly falls in line with the western-looking Atlanticist viewpoint. In that same interview, Putin was asked about potential Russian membership in NATO, and responded, "Why not? Why not? I do not rule out such a possibility. It is with difficulty that I view NATO as an enemy." The Eurasians view NATO expansion as a great threat to Russian sovereignty, and Putin's comments on NATO were radical even for an Atlanticist.
On the other hand, Putin is clearly a derzharnik as well. The main promise of his campaign has been stability and order, and a return to normality. In order to root out the corruption of crony capitalism, Putin has strongly hinted at a heavy-handed use of state power, concentrated in the FSB (the successor to the KGB). Putin's party, Unity, has formed an alliance with the Communists in the Duma that will have a majority on any vote. Therefore, Putin should be able to carry out his plans with little resistance, as opposed to the previous government, which was always deadlocked with the Communist-run Duma.
Putin's vision for Russia is not a mystery, but actually very clear within the framework of Russian policy debates. First, he wants Russia to get her domestic affairs in order through rapid, state-directed reforms. Once Russia is stable again, Putin hopes that foreign -- especially Western -- investors will be willing to look at Russia again, and help Russia develop a market economy. He promises to return Russia to her status as a great power, without making Russia subservient to the West and the United States. His leadership in the Chechnyan war was symbolic of this -- he reasserted Russia's military strength, while simultaneously not yielding to heavy Western pressure to end the war. These themes of strong central leadership, stability, reform, economic recovery and restoring Russia's greatness resonated with the Russian people, and resulted in Putin's resounding victory.
(Nick Higgins is a Cavalier Dailyviewpoint writer.)
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