Image credit: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
January 17, 2020
Putin Is Following the Game Plan of Other Autocrats Before Him
All of the sudden, the transition of power in Russia has begun. In his annual state of the nation speech on Jan. 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised many by proposing constitutional changes that would redistribute power within the Russian government, giving more authority to positions Putin might himself take over when his presidential term expires in 2024.
It’s not that the idea of tinkering with Russia’s highest law was so shocking. After all, it was widely expected that Putin would find a way to extend his time in power beyond 2024. Instead, it was the timing of his announcement—four years before he has to step down—that caught people off guard. Yet by making the announcement now, Putin is avoiding succession pressures that could have built up over the course of the next several years and possibly triggered protests. Already, elite infighting was intensifying as individuals jockeyed for influence amid the uncertainty over Putin’s future. Moreover, the public’s discontent with the Russian economy, which has grown in recent years, is unlikely to abate. It could even worsen given Russia’s stagnant economic outlook.
Read the full article in Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
Russia-China Relations One Year after the Invasion of Ukraine, with Bonnie Glaser, Dmitry Gorenburg, Richard Weitz, Yusuke Anami
As Russia has become increasingly isolated on the international stage following its invasion of Ukraine last February, it has sought to deepen its ties with remaining partners...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Jim Townsend, Yusuke Anami, Bonnie Glaser, Dmitry Gorenburg & Richard Weitz
-
Russian President Putin Plans to Move Tactical Nuclear Weapons into Belarus
Here & Now's Robin Young speaks with Jeffrey Edmonds with the Center for New American Security about Russia's plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which shares...
By Jeffrey Edmonds
-
Putin’s Forever War
More than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a grim reality has settled in: the war will not end soon. Despite the heavy fighting in and around the eastern city of Bak...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor & Erica Frantz
-
China's leader Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow
Andrea Kendall-Taylor appears in Reuters to discuss the broader implications of Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow, and the future of the Sino-Russian relationship. Watch the full ...
By Andrea Kendall-Taylor