Understanding Democratic Backsliding in Contemporary Russia: Internal and External Dimensions Pal Lal Ji1,*, Sandeep E2,** 1Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India 2Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Government Brennen College, Thalasery, Kerala, India *(*Corresponding author) email id: lalgpal@gmail.com
**sandeepksd8@gmail.com
Online Published on 13 February, 2024. Abstract It was believed that the post-Cold War era would be fertile ground for the growth of neo-liberal democracy championed by the United States and its allies. Although the next decade showed some symptoms of this belief, key contenders emerged with alternative models at the turn of the new millennium. China and Russia are major actors who started resisting liberal democracy. Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin, Russia consolidated power for more than two decades. Various studies and discussions have pointed out the resentment of Putin’s government towards democracy. International rating agencies such as Freedom House, Varieties of Democracy Index, and Economic Intelligence have annually reported democratic deficits and backsliding in the Russian Federation. However, Moscow attained speedy economic growth and military strength owing to its rich natural resources and disciplined domestic system. On the other hand, neo-liberal economies faced economic crises at the global level. Along with this, they faced manifold domestic problems regarding the quality of democracy they practiced. In this context, the present article analyses the impact of Vladimir Putin’s rule on democratic ethos and indicators in contemporary Russia. It will identify and discuss different issues related to democracy in the country, including the mysterious death of Wagner group leader Prigozhin. The paper will also examine external and internal dimensions of democracy along with the implications of Putin’s rule on it. As part of this, there will be discussions on how the operations of Russia impact democracy promotion efforts in neighboring countries as well as in distant areas, including the Ukrainian crisis. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first section will discuss the evolution and importance of democracy in world politics and locate the place of Russia in it. The second part will discuss the challenges related to democracy in contemporary Russia. Top Keywords Russia, Democratic deficit, Democratic backsliding, Illiberalism, Democracy promotion. Top |