In the last few years, Russia has become an increasingly hostile place for those who support democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Political and social activists inside and outside Russia have long recognized the trends were negative. Toward the end of 2004, a series of events – the elimination of Russian citizens’ direct vote for governors, the Kremlin’s repeated public endorsement of fraudulent elections in Ukraine, and the shadowy auctions serving to dismantle the oil giant YUKOS – have made Russia’s trajectory both increasingly obvious and harder to ignore for European and American policymakers. […]
Memo #:
326
Series:
1
PDF:
PDF URL:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0326.pdf
Author [Non-member]:
Sarah E. Mendelson
