Osteuropa
Osteuropa
2011-12-06
Abstracts Osteuropa 10/2011
Dmitri Furman
Russia's path of development
From empire to nation-state
The Russian Federation is neither a true democracy nor a Russian nation-state. It is a remnant of the Russian and Soviet empire, which was held together by authoritarian power. Russians' understanding of themselves has yet to shed its imperial and Soviet cocoon either. It vacillates between imperial revanchist chauvinism, Russophobe self-abasement, and fear of a collapse of nation and state. The "end of Russian history" will only be reached when a truly democratic Russian nation-state that eschews imperial ambitions in the post-Soviet realm has become part of the supranational European community.
Lev Gudkov
Russia at a dead end
Stagnation, apathy, decline
Russia's political leadership tries to control its political rivals, civil society organisations, the mass media, and the justice system. It suppresses social and structural differentiation and thus blocks modernisation. Nationalism finds encouragement. Anti-liberal attitudes remain widespread. In society, conservatism and political apathy are rampant. Political spin has assumed the function of ideology. It helps the ruling elite secure its hold on power. And it makes the population distrustful and reduces demands on cultural and intellectual cohabitation. Russia faces the risk of gradually entering a permanent crisis in which social tensions alternately increase and decrease. The Kremlin is being forced to follow a course between tightening and loosening state controls over society and the economy. But the foundation of the regime remains untouched: the concentration of all instruments of control in the hands of a small, dubious group.
Denis Volkov
In a jam
Russian civil society
An empirical study in six Russian cities shows that the question whether an active civil society exists is anachronistic. It exists and is slowly growing. Non-governmental organisations and initiatives are engaged in many areas. But in everyday life, they run up against numerous problems. Financing is precarious, co-operation with state agencies threatens their autonomy, and repression is always present. But the civil sector has also failed so far to develop a strategy to embrace the interests of social groups "from below", articulate them, and transform them into a durable stable social movement or even stable organisations.
Jens Siegert
At a fork in the road
Civil society and politics in Russia
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has changed fundamentally. During Perestroika, civil society exploded. Since then, non-governmental organisations and initiatives have been steady in their engagement on the one hand; on the other hand, they are weak and exposed to the political climate. Co-operation between NGOs and the state in times of a de facto ban on politics is only possible if the illusion of the "unpolitical" activity of NGOs is maintained. Now, many representatives of civil society see themselves at a fork in the road. The renunciation of a fundamental modernization of the economy and politics that accompanies Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency will have consequences for civil-society.
Moritz Gathmann, Stefan Scholl
Get out of Moscow!
An appeal for a different kind of reporting on Russia
German correspondents in Russia are almost all accredited in Moscow. This shapes their view of the country. They barely perceive what is happening outside the metropolis -- or do so only through Moscow-influenced lens. Since Kremlin politics remain opaque in Moscow as well, the supposed advantages of proximity to the political decision-making centre do not exist upon closer examination. Instead, correspondents should go to Krasnodar, Krasnoiarsk, and Vladivostok, where they could report on a very different Russia.
Roland Götz
Capital flight from Russia
A threat to the economy?
In Russia, politicians and the media often portray capital flight as a threat to economic development. They refer to data published by the central bank of Russia on private-sector capital export. Whether they really measure capital flight according to the general understanding of the term is doubtful, however. The debate ignores the fact that the kind of capital flight discussed in Russia is a normal occurrence in countries with strong export sectors and does not have to affect economic development. In particular, it is not a barrier to investment.
Bruno Schoch
Kosovo as bone of contention
Stability and its enemies
After Kosovo's declaration of independence in February 2008, many observers feared an escalation of violence. When this did not immediately happen, relief was widespread. In the summer of 2011, however, militant protests and barricades in northern Kosovo, even attacks on NATO soldiers, served as an ungentle reminder that old ethno-national territorial issues are far from resolved. Nonetheless, given the difficult starting point, the international community in Kosovo has made considerable success in building a functioning state. A nationalist escalation in violence similar to that of the 1990s is not looming.
Martin Pollack
Shortcuts are dead ends
My Polish lessons
For over 40 years, I have been dealing with Poland as a translator, but also as a publicist and author. How did it come to this? Conditions were extremely unfavourable. When I began my studies, these countries were behind the "iron curtain" in the blind spot of our attention. In addition, I come from a family of staunch Nazis that saw in all Slavs inferior human-beings, at any rate enemies. It was a long learning process.