Section A27: Russia in Crisis
This seminar deals with political conflict, policy-making, and social policy in post-Soviet Russia. We will briefly examine the major institutions and developments of the Soviet era, as well as the changes that led to the USSR's collapse. The seminar's main focus will be on the period since Boris Yeltsin and--more important--Vladimir Putin came to power. Particular emphasis will be on five issues: attempts to transform the political system from one based on authoritarianism to one based on democratic principles; efforts to shift from a centrally planned economy to one based on market forces; the political and economic role of the Federal Security Service (FSB)--the successor to the KGB--and the military, especially in Chechnya; religious freedom and religious persecution; and social questions, such as the position of women, the crisis in public health (alcoholism, drug abuse, family relations, environmental deterioration, HIV/AIDS), crime and issues of particular interest to young people, such as education.
(David E. Powell)