by Elliot Ewert

Created on: October 08, 2009

Every nation has in its historical experience endured economic depression on a grand scale, yet few have seen as meteoric a recovery from the dregs of financial and societal despondency as Russia, whose rapid convalescence in recent years under the auspices of the administration of former President and current Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin has transformed the country into an economic marvel. This has in turn allowed the largest member of the former USSR to muscle its way back into a position of influence and prominence upon the world stage. The country's current state is starkly contrasted with the uncertainty and misery that defined Russia's society and economy in the 1990s, when nearly 50% of the population lived below the government-designated poverty level1. Proof of the incredible economic recovery is evidenced by the fact that the middle class has expanded by a factor of seven since 2000, from eight to 55 million, and the country claims more billionaires than any other nation save America2. In opinion polls, the populace frequently cites Putin and his policies, which have consistently emphasized stability over democratic reform, as the primary factor catalyzing the dramatic improvement in living standards over the past decade. This reflects the nation's disillusionment with liberal democracy, which brought most only strife and financial ruin in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse (A caveat to this statement is that current polls suggest a majority of Russians may, as they become increasingly prosperous, find the willingness to stomach more government transparency and free market economics once again). Although they reside in a state that Western observers frequently decry for its 'authoritarian' tendencies', Russians' view of their chief executive is overwhelmingly positive, and the Putin administration's policy trend towards what he labels 'managed democracy', in which the average Russian's civil liberties are curtailed in the perceived exchange for a guaranteed income is supported by a majority of the electorate3

Putin has capitalized on his incorrigible and ubiquitous political hegemony by serving as the sole and unchallenged arbiter of his nation's foreign policy role in the larger context of international politics. Although few could argue that he has achieved the revered cult-of-personality status that characterized the leadership of previous Russian strongmen, his rhetoric and its subsequent dissemination through the state-controlled media

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