A new two-part BBC series on Russia’s democratic regression is essential viewing for anyone seeking to understand the origins and evolution of Putin’s authoritarianism. The programs highlight the Kremlin’s adverse reaction to the democratic breakthroughs on its periphery, the backlash against pro-democracy civil society groups and human rights activists and the emergence of Russia’s anti-Western belligerence.
Meanwhile, Pavel Felgenhauer asks, is Russia now officially anti-American?
“The time of reset niceties is clearly over,” he writes, “but aggressive anti-Americanism has been previously used during electioneering by Russia’s rulers and might be scaled down after the March 4 elections, or it may not.”
