The debate over Russia’s likely course of development under Putin has paid surprisingly little attention to his openly stated goal of reintegrating Russia with other former Soviet republics.
About the Author
John B. Dunlop, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, is the author of Russia Confronts Chechnya: Roots of a Separatist Conflict (1998), The Rise of Russia and the Fall of the Soviet Empire (1993), and The New Russian Nationalism (1985).
The more-democratic postcommunist countries have maintained stronger social safety nets than their authoritarian counterparts, but they must reassess their welfare policies to address emerging social challenges.
The real danger in East-Central Europe comes not from populist ideology or attempts to subvert democracy, but rather from the manipulation of democratic procedures by those in power.
