One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
From Ethno-Federalism to “Russia of Russians”
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The federalisation of Russia starting in 1992 and the de-federalisation under Putin have taught us that federal institutions do not reproduce themselves on their own. They depend on a federal political culture, federal-integrative parties, effective institutions of conflict regulation, an independent constitutional court, and the combination of federalism and democracy. Russia is lacking in all of these. Defederalisation under Putin was facilitated by a lack of democracy in the regions, centralist norms, and Russophilism in public discourse as well as the fact that political parties do not need federalism in order to gain power.
(Osteuropa 11/2007, pp. 135–162)