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Back to Subjects - Political Science

My New Russia

My New Russia Economics, Politics, Military, and Problems with the Russia. It is a land full of history and culture. We have the Russians to thank for that most favorite potent potable, vodka and many other things. Russia is a very difficult country to understand. The people are incredibly warm and friendly. They believe that hospitality is one of the most important social graces and most Russians would do anything for anyone. Knowing this, it is difficult to understand why the Russians have had so many problems in their history. However, I have undertaken the arduous task of giving my reader a contemporary view of the country, and so I will attempt to do that. Any country study should begin with some basic information. I want to get this out of the way now so that I can concentrate later on the more important things. Russia is the largest country in the world. It spans most of the Asian continent and borders thirteen countries. Russia spans from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and also borders the Arctic Ocean on most of its northern territory. The climate in Russia depends on where one is located. There are temperate places in the south and severely cold areas in the north. In Moscow, the capital, the average temperature in January is 15f. Russia contains mountains, steppes, plains, deserts and nearly every climate imaginable. The country is for the most part known as a European one and most of the inhabitants are Caucasian. However, the multi-ethnic population is constituted of 82% Russians, 4% Tatars, 3% Ukrainians, 1% Chuvash, 0.9% Bashkir, 0.8% Belarussian, and 0.7% Moldovan. There are also hundreds of other recognized and more obscure nationalities within the realm that is Russia. The official language is Russian but many others are in daily use including Belarussian, Ukrainian, Chinese, and a multitude of others. The predominant religion is Christianity with the Russian Orthodox Church being the largest denomination (ABC-CLIO, Inc. Kaleidoscope, 1999.) The land of Russia borders 12,514 miles with 23,398 miles of coastline. The total area of the nation is 6,592,850 square miles. The land is used in 3 main ways. 7.7% is cropland, 4.6% is permanent pastureland, and 45.6% is forests and woodland. The other 42.1% is used for other things including industry, cities, and homes. However, a lot of the territory is unusable because of the severe weather or problems caused with transportation. Only 8% of the land is arable making the arable land per capita only 2.3 acres (Europa World Year Book, FAO Production Yearbook, The World Factbook for 1999 respectively). The population is approximately 145,835,000 with a population density of 22 inhabitants per square mile (1999) and a population distribution of 73.9% urban and the rest rural or suburban (1991). The age distribution is 20% in the 0-14 category, 68% in the 15-64 range and 12% in the 65+ range (1998). Median age is 36.9(2000) and the population growth rate is -0.2% per year (2000-2010 projection). The fact that the population is not increasing could be good since the country is now in so much turmoil. The average life expectancy is 69.8 years (2000-2010 projection) with men being expected to live 64.5 years and women 75.1. The life expectancy is good, nearly paralleling that of the United States. The infant mortality rate is 16 per 1000 live births (2000-2010 projection). In Russia there are 38 doctors and 118 hospital beds per 10,000 people (Europa World Year Book, The World Almanac and Book of Facts, The World Factbook, World Military and Social Expenditures, World Population Prospects, 1999 respectively). Those are the basic numbers to give the reader an idea of the size and constitution of the Russian nation. There are however many problems in contemporary Russia. The economy is a shambles. The government changes often and since the Cold-War is over there is no one for the Russians to target with their vast nuclear arsenal which includes enough intercontinental ballistic missiles to destroy the world, 928 total. There are many important organizations in Russia. The Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg in 1724 by Peter the Great and is the main organization that coordinates scientific research. Membership in it is the highest honor in the Russian scientific community. The Communist Party of Russia is also very important. The main party principle is democratic centralism, which includes three basic ideas: 1. Monolithic unity is fundamental to Marxism-Leninism. 2. All party decisions are irrevocably binding on party members. 3. Any restriction or questioning of party policy is considered revision, which is contrary to the CPSU's role as the only interpreter of Marxism-Leninism. In 1990 the Communist Party had 19,228,217 members, which was about 9% of the adult population. Women accounted for 30% and Russians in general for 59% (1999 ABC-CLIO, Inc., Kaleidoscope). After the fall of the Soviet Union the turmoil caused many of the republic leaders to be able to keep their power and to legalize republic Communist parties. The party dominated 1995 State Duma elections under apparatchik Gennady Zyuganov. The Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, the Committee of State Security, or KGB, which is much easier to say, was the chief office of Russian security from 1953 to 1991. In 1991 the KGB merged with the Interior Ministry to form the Russian Security and Internal Affairs Ministry. To handle all the functions that the KGB once carried out, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) were formed. Prior to the 1991 reforms the KGB was responsible for these tasks which are now handled by the aforementioned organizations: 1. Foreign intelligence and espionage. 2. Intelligence gathering and analysis. 4. Political control of the population. 6. Covert activities and disinformation. In its heyday the KGB employed more than 200,000 people all of whom carried Some of the lesser organizations in Russia include the Liberal Democratic Party, which is an ultranationalist group comprised of former and current members of the military, pensioners, communists, and naturally nationalists. It is also gaining support from Russia's growing business class. In the 1993 elections for the Duma the party controlled 1/5 of the seats but since then has been losing power steadily. In the 1996 presidential elections they placed a distant fifth and in this year's elections they did not field a serious candidate. The National Salvation Front is another lesser organization in Russia which is for the most part composed of communist extremists and right-wing nationalists. It was banned by Boris Yeltsin in 1992, but was legalized by the courts in 1993 although they had never stopped being active. Former historian Roy Medvedev who is now a Duma member leads the Socialist Workers Party. It is a small leftist organization, which has sought alliances in the past with communist and agrarian parties. They like most Russians seek reform. The Russian State Duma is one of the most important organizations in Russia today. It has 450 members of whom 225 are elected by proportional representation and the other half by single-member constituencies. The State Duma's counterpart is the upper house Federation Council which is comprised of 178 members. Like the United State's senate it is comprised of two representatives from each of Russia's 89 regions and republics. There are many questions on the environment in the world today. Russia is adjusting to life as a democratic nation. However, under Communism, the environment and concerns for it were neglected. There are several key issues that are being handled in Russia at this moment. The 1987 Montreal Protocol called for the nations of the world to stop the production of among other things, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants. Because of her severe cash flow problems Russia has not been able to keep up with the global plan. However the United Nations along with the World Bank have pledged to help the Russians come up to speed. The World Bank spent $25 million to buy the Russian CFC facilities. They are scheduled for closure later this year (Science, 9/18/98, Vol. 281 Issue 5384, p 1778). The clean up of the Cold War will cost almost as much as the actual stand off, billions. While Russia was making her nuclear bombs she paid little attention to the effects of her nuclear technology on the environment. One of the main Soviet bases was located on the Kola Peninsula close to Russia's border with Norway. At this base are many nuclear facilities and submarines. Their disarmament poses serious threats to the safety of the environment if not handled properly. Norway has pledged to help Russia with the clean up process and the United States has pledged money to help with the effort. By 2010 it is planned to have 25 submarines decommissioned and to have the waste safely disposed of. For now, however, the people involved are most concerned about preventing contamination and safeguarding the weapons. No one wants another Chernobyl (Peace Research Abstracts Journal, Feb 99, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p48). Of course these are not the only problems. The Soviets were unconcerned about the safety of waste from not only nuclear facilities but also chemical plants and all sectors of industry which causes problems with water sanitation and food production. It has been argued that it is easier to characterize what Russia is transforming from than what it is transforming to (Social Research, Summer 1996, Vol. 63 Issue 2, p403). When Communism fell in Russia it was decided to move the state to a democratic form of government. After almost a decade of reform, how democratic is Russia? Many say that Russia has already made the change to democracy but it is more correctly termed a hybrid system or mixed polity. Robert Dahl discusses ten requirements for Democracy in his Polyarchy. 1. Freedom to form and join organizations. Freedom to join organizations began in the late Soviet years. Today many people still use the right to join together, but they are all trying to make a living and so have little time to do much else. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation is probably one of the largest groups but groups like it were more important during perestroika than they are now. In the late 1980's people were allowed more and more to speak publicly. By the end of 1989 glasnost became the same thing as freedom of speech and publication. Today the people are completely free, but it is a mixed freedom. It is dangerous for news people to investigate the Mafia and other forms of crime as well as key political figures. Also, those who own the newspaper even though there are no state controls limit editorial freedom. Television journalism is somewhat freer than print, but they are still conformist. The main television networks supported Yeltsin in 1996 and did not criticize him much in the time before he stepped down as president. Today they support current President Putin for the most part though they feel freer to make criticisms if necessary. The Soviet system never stopped people from voting. In fact, citizens were punished for not voting. As Dahl says, the right to vote is only important when the race is contested, when there is a choice. Early free elections in Russia were plagued with low voter turnout. They declined for most of the 1990's, however in the 1996 presidential elections the turnout was almost 65% and in this year's presidential election turnout was also high. The right to vote has never been questioned and has survived these turbulent years intact. 4. Eligibility for Public Office and the Right of Political Leaders to Compete for In Russia the question that running for office asks is, "How much money can you muster?" This is however the case in many democratic nations including the United States. There are no rules or laws for the amount of money that can be raised for a campaign and the sources for the money are not important. The Russians have a saying that loosely translated means that as long as everything works, there is no problem. This is true, but in Russia there are questions about whether or not this fourth requirement is met. There are people who are told that they cannot run. In Ingushetia and Tartarstan there have been unopposed elections and in Kalmykia as well. These have not been uncontested by chance but by force. This question is open because the way the law reads is that anyone can run but then again so does the law in the United States. Viability of the candidate and who supports him is the important question there as it is here. 5. Alternative Sources of Information. Outside sources are easily available in most of Russia. The Internet as well as satellite television has allowed the people to gain relatively easy access to outside information. There is however some dispute as to how reliable the sources are. TASS was important under Communism and remains a news leader today. As illustrated by Yeltsin's frustration with the State Duma it is obvious that he could not choose the people in it. In many of the Russian republics, however, elections are far from fair. The reliability of the voting system in these places has been questioned and reformers are seeking to change the way it happens. 7. Institutions for Making Government Policies Depend on Votes and other Expressions of Preference. The Russians are having some trouble clearing this problem. It is shown that the government is somewhat unconcerned with accountability and they do little to no public opinion polls unlike the United States. The people in government in Russia are generally concerned with getting elected. This may explain the high rate of party turnover in the Duma. It is known that under Communism the government cared little about law when it got in the way of what the Politburo or Supreme Soviet wanted. That is not necessarily true today. However when the sale of state assets were transacted, there is evidence that the buyers were pre-selected and paid almost nothing for the real estate they bought. Russia needs to work on this problem. Nine and ten deal with institutional malleability and other rights. In the Soviet era political connections were the most important deciding factor. Today it is business. It may be good to support the growth of the Russian economy but the power of the laws and of the government should not take a "back seat" to the interest of business. Another problem in Russian business is that the Mafia is a key figure in many businesses. While the Russian government is not wholly democratic yet it is important to remember that it is a work in progress. There are very democratic republics and highly authoritarian ones. But, the democracy enjoyed by the United States took well over 200 years to achieve and was not easily done. There is no solid opinion about the state of democracy in Russia. Some say that the country is "adrift, especially in its commitment to democratizing reform and the transition to a market economy"(World Affairs, Summer99, Vol. 162 Issue 1, p22). The Russians need more time (Problems of Post-Communism, Sep/Oct 99, Vol. 46 Issue 5, p3) In the years immediately following the collapse of Communism as the sole political force in Russia the Russians embraced the West. To borrow from the Germans, they decided to "Test the West". This period ended in late 1992 with an increased anti-western sentiment being ushered in at about the same time the people were growing tired of Yeltsin. After 1992 Russia restated her power in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and recommitted to supporting them. Russia's involvement in NATO is also important. There have been questions about whether or not such a young developing nation should be allowed to join the group. Russia has consistently stated that she does not want any part in NATO expansion eastward (World Affairs, Summer99, Vol. 162 Issue 1, and p22). The addition of the newest members in NATO has been called the final proof that the West won the cold war. Many Russian leaders see the expansion of NATO as a threat to the security of the Russian State and perceive it as the West taking advantage of their temporary weakness. President Clinton said that he simply wants to help bring stability to Eastern Europe. The negative feeling about NATO expansion is that many Russians believe that the West is still fighting the Cold War (World Affairs, Summer99, Vol. 12, p. 22). This is not the case, but as we know perspectives influence the way people think about everything. So, perhaps the problem is that the Russian people are still "licking their wounds" from the collapse of the Soviet Union. The country is not doing so well and they are vulnerable right now. This may be the reason for the negative feeling. Whatever the cause, it is obvious that the Russians are withdrawing from the West more and more. They increasingly want to give attention to their former satellites and to the rest of Eastern Europe. The consensus tends to be that a capitalist system is yet to be established in Russia. There are many problems with the economy, but most important is the way privatization was handled. External buyers were completely excluded and Russia's development is uncertain which causes the level of foreign investment in industry to be kept incredibly low. So, what could have turned a large profit for the state turned into a fiasco that left them with no new foreign money and no real change in the way business is done. Shops and companies are still over staffed and the workers are still apathetic about their jobs. Also, money plays a secondary role today just as it did in the Soviet times. Barter and other nonmonetary transactions are the norm for business in Russia. Enterprises have developed barter arrangements with customers, suppliers, and even employees (Capital and Class, Summer99 Issue 68, p1). This has caused a circle of credit and debt to form that is bad for any developing state. When this happens, nothing can progress because they are buying and selling just to stay in the black, so to speak. The circle is evident in Macroeconomics as well. Russia has been able to integrate into the global economy mainly through providing raw materials, as a debtor state, and an exporter of illegal capital. Thus, it bears all the marks of a third world nation. In response the World Bank and IMF have only been willing to help in return for liberalization while the government has continually promised economic reform while none has happened. This has resulted in an "economy which has become cripplingly unproductive as the old central planning has not been replaced by effective market relations" (Capital and Class, Summer98 Issue 68, p1). Profits are being made but only through the trade and barter agreements mentioned earlier rather than through a true surplus value in production. Russia is in serious economic trouble. They are on a circle that can only lead to further weakness. Russia is in a lot of ways the most significant problem facing Europe and the World in the years to come. The stakes are high not so much in the economic sphere where the actual global impact is low given Russia's increasingly barter driven economy, but in the realm of power considering Russia's ability to affect events in Europe through its political and military power and especially her nuclear arsenal. There is no single answer to the problems faced by Russia. It is weak right now. Russia needs help from the outside but only on a conditional basis. This is needed if the funds from abroad are to do anything except enrich the politically corrupt. One thing Russia has taught the world is that economic reform cannot happen in a circular economy. Russia also needs to improve other areas such as property rights, securities regulation, accounting practices, and bankruptcy procedures. Working out a good relationship with Russia over the past decade has been complicated by different opinions on how to best promote peace and security in Europe. Russia may not like the fact that NATO is expanding but the signing of the Founding Act in 1999 showed that they were willing to cooperate with everyone else. Cooperation may be the most important thing right now. Another sign of their cooperation was their assistance in the peacekeeping effort in Bosnia even if they did protest the air strikes. Russia will come around and I am certain that with time they will be able to get over their problems and move on. Perhaps they will become less and less involved in the happenings of the West. If this happens after the problems are solved, so what? For years the United States was content to leave itself out of the problems of the rest of the world except to trade. Perhaps Russia will follow the same course as the U.S. No one can be certain. One thing that can be certain is that Russia is a strong nation and if two world wars, the Communists, and "growing pains" cannot keep them down, then nothing can. Russia will succeed. Russia, my new Russia. Department of State Background Notes, www.state.gov/www/background_notes/russia_9810_bgn.html www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Russia and East European Network Information Center, http://reeinc.utexas.edu/reenic.html Kaleidoscope, ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999.(No author listed) The Russian Transition in Comparative and Russian Perspective, Social Research, Summer 1996, Vol. 63 Issue 2, page 403. NATO and Russia, Russians and NATO, Gregory Hall, World Affairs, Summer 1999, Vol. 162 Issue 1, p 22. Russian Front Opens in Ozone Fight, Steve Nadis, Science, 9/18/98, Vol. 281 Issue 5384, p1779. Peace Research Abstracts Journal, Feb 1999, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p 48.(No author listed) Russia's Crises, Rick Simon, Capital and Class, Summer 1999 Issue 68, p1. The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1999. World Military and Social Expenditures. Bibliography: Bibliography Websites Department of State Background Notes, www.state.gov/www/background_notes/russia_9810_bgn.html CIA World Factbook, www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Freedom House, www.freedomhouse.org/survey99/ Russia and East European Network Information Center, http://reeinc.utexas.edu/reenic.html Journals and Articles Kaleidoscope, ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1999.(No author listed) The Russian Transition in Comparative and Russian Perspective, Social Research, Summer 1996, Vol. 63 Issue 2, page 403. NATO and Russia, Russians and NATO, Gregory Hall, World Affairs, Summer 1999, Vol. 162 Issue 1, p 22. Russian Front Opens in Ozone Fight, Steve Nadis, Science, 9/18/98, Vol. 281 Issue 5384, p1779. Peace Research Abstracts Journal, Feb 1999, Vol. 36 Issue 1, p 48.(No author listed) Russia's Crises, Rick Simon, Capital and Class, Summer 1999 Issue 68, p1. Books Europa World Year Book, 1999. FAO Production Yearbook, 1999. World Factbook. The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1999. World Military and Social Expenditures. World Population Prospects.

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