Russia
Each essay should be answered in a minimum of 800 words though you may write more if you wish. I do not want to see any numbering or bullet points and nor do I want to see my lecture notes copied and pasted. Answers should be in your own words and in a conversational essay style format.
You don't have to cite the textbook or my notes but reference the assigned videos by name or topic. You may refer to and properly cite a minimal number of outside sources (current events or scholarly works), but the bulk of your essay responses should be derived from the materials provided in the course.
Q1. Assess the condition of democracy in Russia by examining the role of key political actors and institutions including evidence of civil liberties and a civil society. Evaluate responses by the Russian state to socio-economic and security challenges.
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The State of Democracy in Russia
Russia's political landscape has been intensely scrutinized, both domestically and internationally. This is caused by its rapidly and continuously evolving democratic nature. This essay examines the role of critical political actors and institutions. It also evaluates the state of civil liberties and civil society, assessing the state’s responses to socioeconomic and security challenges.
Vladimir Putin’s leadership has been a dominant force in Russian politics. Despite constitutional term limits, his grip on power has been maintained through strategic maneuvers. This includes transitioning to the Prime Minister role before returning to the presidency. With these trends, there were concerns about the concentration of power to one individual. There was an evident lack of genuine political competition. Another aspect that influenced democracy is the federal assembly ADDIN CSL_CITATION {"citationItems":[{"id":"ITEM-1","itemData":{"author":[{"dropping-particle":"","family":"Hodgson","given":"Jayden Dean","non-dropping-particle":"","parse-names":false,"suffix":""}],"id":"ITEM-1","issued":{"date-parts":[["2021"]]},"title":"Putinism: a threat to liberal democracy in Russia?","type":"article"},"uris":["/documents/?uuid=a2f9a629-965a-4f86-b594-ad372952152f"]}],"mendeley":{"formattedCitation":"(Hodgson)","plainTextFormattedCitation":"(Hodgson)","previouslyFormattedCitation":"(Hodgson)"},"properties":{"noteIndex":0},"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"}(Hodgson). The Russian Parliament consists of the State Duma and Federation Council. The legislature plays a significant role in making laws and other legislative procedures. However, it is argued that the institutions merely rubber-stamp decisions made by the executive branch. Therefore, the federal assembly has limited its ability to provide adequate checks and balances to the executive.
While Russia has multiple political parties, the ruling government’s party holds significant control. Opposition parties often face obstacles in registering and participating in elections. With this trend, the ruling has limited democratic participation because there is limited political pluralism in the country ADDIN CSL_CITATION {"citationItems":[{"id":"ITEM-1","itemData":{"ISSN":"0967-067X","author":[{"dropping-particle":"","family":"Kubiček","given":"Paul","non-dropping-particle":"","parse-names":false,"suffix":""}],"container-title":"Communist and Post-communist studies","id":"ITEM-1","issue":"4","issued":{"date-parts":[["1994"]]},"page":"423-441","publisher":"Elsevier","title":"Delegative democracy in Russia and Ukraine","type":"article-journal","volume":"27"},"uris":["/documents/?uuid=920672c4-c6a9-4908-9a2b-a59d2ca11923"]}],"mendeley":{"formattedCitation":"(Kubiček)","plainTextFormattedCitation":"(Kubiček)","previouslyFormattedCitation":"(Kubiček)"},"properties":{"noteIndex":0},"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"}(Kubiček). This also directly impacts the civil liberties and human rights of the people. One core issue affected by the trend is the freedom of media and speech. Over the years, freedom of speech and media has experienced restrictions. The state-controlled or friendly media dominates the narrative. Critical voices are often silenced or face intimidation, which has limited the information people receive. Independent journalists and media outlets have been subjected to legal harassment. Many media houses are censored and subjected to violence to control the narratives.
The government has also limited the freedom of assembly and association. The right to peaceful assembly and association is frequently curtailed. This is particularly enforced against opposition groups and civil society organizations. The people who are critical of the government. The governmental authorities use restrictive laws to suppress protests and stifle dissent ADDIN CSL_CITATION {"citationItems":[{"id":"ITEM-1","itemData":{"ISSN":"0015-7120","author":[{"dropping-particle":"","family":"Diamond","given":"Larry","non-dropping-particle":"","parse-names":false,"suffix":""}],"container-title":"Foreign Affairs","id":"ITEM-1","issue":"4","issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]},"page":"17-25","publisher":"JSTOR","title":"Democracy demotion","type":"article-journal...