NEWSWATCH: “The Inevitable Decline of Putin’s Russia” – US News/Paul Shinkman

Putin Descending a Staircase

The downfall of the Soviet Union has taken on renewed resonance in 2016, as a similar set of pressures appears to be aligning against America’s former Cold War foe, raising questions as to whether it, too, may overtax itself. … the Kremlin in the early 2000s consolidated a resurgent Russia’s economic power among a few trusted business elites, failing to diversify the economy and lessen its dependence on oil sales. … increasingly authoritarian rule sparked popular dissent, even as a downturn in global oil prices caused the country’s finances to plummet. Putin’s response was to engineer a wave of nationalism that involved Russia stretching the boundaries of its global influence through land grabs and warlike rhetoric. Domestically, he has set up for his people the spectre of an enemy – namely the West – to blame for both their and Russia’s financial problems. … popularity soared. But his strategy of pursuing adventurism abroad to neutralize opposition at home came at a price.

Click here for US News/Paul Shinkman: The Inevitable Decline of Putin’s Russia.

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