In late June of 2020 the Russian government held a nation-wide plebiscite on a series of constitutional amendments proposed earlier this year by President Vladimir Putin. Among a myriad of changes …
Bread or Freedom
Under the Soviet Union, Russian’s prioritized bread over freedom. It seems as though they still prefer bread. Freedom House rates Russia a 20% on its democracy scale and blames the strong relationship …
How Renewable Energy can Lessen Putin’s Grip on Russia
President Vladimir Putin is more vulnerable than some may realize. By over-relying on oil and natural gas production to fund social welfare programs, Putin has exposed that his grip on power is …
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Vladimir Putin: A President for Life?
2024. The year Vladimir Putin is supposed to step down from power after more than two decades of serving as both President and Prime Minister. After rising to power in the 1990s as a …
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Putin’s Constitutional Amendments: A Further Deterioration of Russian Democracy
Since Vladimir Putin was re-elected as President of Russia in 2018 questions have arisen as to what role he will play in the Russian government once his presidential term ends in 2024. In his State of …
The Democratic and Geopolitical Repercussions of US Withdrawal from Syria
The departure of US forces from Syria serves as a capitulation to authoritarian forces and as a death knell to any hope of democratic peace brokering. President Trump’s decision to withdraw US …
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Censorship of the Arts and Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin used strategies that would fall under the categories of stealth authoritarianism or executive aggrandizement to muzzle the Russian media throughout the early 2000s, as established by …
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The Putin Internet Paradox; Decreased Internet Freedom Could Lead to Liberalization in Russia by Jonathan Eckel
Putin’s reign of power in Russia has been augmented, in part, by his ever-increasing vice grip on independent media outlets and oppositional voices. Currently, Russia ranks 148th out of 180 countries …