JRL NEWSWATCH VIDEO: “Russia’s Democracy: What Happens After Putin?” – CFR
“Mikhail Khodorkovsky provides his perspective on the domestic political climate in Russia, prospects for democratic change, and the future of U.S.-Russia relations.”
(Council on Foreign Relations – cfr.org – April 29, 2019 – cfr.org/event/russias-democracy-what-happens-after-putin)
“Speaker: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Founder, Open Russia
Presider: Thomas Graham, Distinguished Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russia, National Security Council
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GRAHAM: .. Mikhail Khodorkovsky has been Russia’s richest businessman, he’s been a political prisoner for over a decade, and now he’s perhaps the leading figure in what we might call Russia’s opposition in exile. He is a(n) activist, the founder of Open Russia, and plays a great deal … of attention to what is taking place inside Russia today. …. Mikhail prefers to speak in Russian, so we’re going to have consecutive translation. …KHODORKOVSKY: … in a certain sense Putin has created a very particular, peculiar kind of regime. … in many of its features it is a typical autocratic regime. And, as is the wont of autocratic regimes, it is following the path of development from a more liberal autocratic regime to a less liberal autocratic regime. Russian society, on the other hand, much like in other countries in Europe too, is developing along a path from its traditional more authoritarian model to a more democratic consciousness. …”