JRL NEWSWATCH: “If Regime Change Came to Moscow: The past offers some lessons for the future” – William Courtney

File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

“Strains in Russia over the war in Ukraine and punishing economic sanctions could spark regime change in Moscow. Although prospects … are uncertain, the West might be prudent to begin considering how to deal with any new government. Past disruptions in Russia may offer some insights for Western policy, but new ground might need to be plowed. Abrupt political changes in the former USSR and Russia are not uncommon. … The security sector’s influence has helped lead to wars in Chechnya, obsessive espionage, stifling of political opposition, and invasions of Ukraine and Georgia. [For post-Soviet Russia,] repression at home and aggression abroad have never been greater …. This may in part reflect the dominance of today’s Kremlin by security sector veterans. Unless the security sector is reformed, efforts by any new Russian leaders to open politics and improve relations with the West could falter. …”

Click here for: “If Regime Change Came to Moscow: The past offers some lessons for the future” – Moscow Times/ William Courtney/ RAND

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