The End of the Post-Soviet Era

This one comes from The Moscow Times. Sarah E. Mendelson suggests that the United States only has two options when it comes to dealing with Russia these days – Cold War containment, or post-Soviet integration. But, she says, Russia’s current home policies of what she calls “benevolent authoritarianism” and the signals that the post-Soviet era is now over, mean that neither policy will work.

The dream that many inside and outside Russia had since the Soviet collapse — to see Russia integrated with the West — was crushed long before Russian tanks rolled into Georgia. The Kremlin’s assault on democratic institutions such as the press, political parties and the parliament began years ago. The controlled process by which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin moved from president to prime minister was the defining moment. It marked the end of the post-Soviet era.

Read the full article here.