Here are excerpts from the recently published and well reviewed book by Karen Dawisha, Professor of Political Science at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, who has published several prior books on related subjects:
“Instead of seeing Russian politics as an inchoate democratic system being pulled down by history, accidental autocrats, popular inertia bureaucratic incompetence or poor Western advice, I conclude that from the beginning Putin and his circle sought to create an authoritarian regime rued by a close-knit cabal with embedded interests, plans, and capabilities, who used democracy for decoration rather than direction. In other words Russia is both a democratic failure and a resounding success- that is a success for Putin and his cronies and a success on their terms.”
“Finally, the dump of nonredacted cables from Wikileaks is very regrettable but also a completely fascinating source of information. For example, a 2010 cable from America’s ambassador to Moscow John Beryl to the U. S. secretary of state provided the following description of how money, elections, criminal activity, and the Kremlin interacted:
‘XXX [name redacted by author] stated that everything depends on the Kremlin and he though that … many mayors and governors pay off key insiders in the Kremlin. XXX argued that the vertical works because people are paying bribes all the way to the top. He told us that people often witness officials going into the Kremlin with large suitcases and bodyguards full of money. [sic] The governors also collect money based on bribes, almost resembling a tax system, throughout their regions. He described how there are parallel structures in the regions in which people are able to pay their leaders. For instance, the FSB, MVD (ministry of Internal lAffairs0, and militia all have distinct money collection systems. Further, XXX told us that deputies generally have to buy their seats in the government. They need money to get to the top, but once they are there their positions become quite lucrative money making opportunities.’ ”
“I argue that the outlines of the authoritarian and kleptocratic system were clear by the end of Putting’s first one hundred days in 2000. It is a story that begins even before the collapse of the USSR.”
