Panelists Dissect Russia's Future

An expert panel critically discussed and debated deceased former Russian president Boris Yeltsin's legacy and examined current president Vladimir Putin's administration before a packed crowd in the Low Rotunda Friday afternoon.

Part of a two-day celebration series honoring the work of economics professor and transitioning markets expert Padma Desai, the panel included Erik Berglöf, chief economist and special adviser to the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Yegor Gaidar, former prime minister of Russia under Yeltsin and current director of the Institute for the Economy in Transition, and Jack Matlock Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union and current adjunct professor at the School of International and Public Affairs. Chrystia Freeland, U.S. Managing Editor of the Financial Times, moderated the discussion.

The World Leaders' Forum event, titled "Where is Russia Headed?" began with an examination of Yeltsin's legacy. Gaidar remarked, "he [Yeltsin] understood that one had to crush the old system completely." Desai also praised Yeltsin, noting, "history changes with ideas ... and that was his main contribution."

As for Yeltsin's greatest mistake, both Gaidar and Desai responded simply and without hesitation: "Chechnya."

The discussion soon turned to the state of democracy in Russia and its relations to the West, with Gaidar remarking on external pressures surrounding the nation that "the more the West lectures Russia about democracy," the weaker the position of the proto-democrats in Russia will be.

Matlock criticized the United States' attitude of having a "monopoly on democracy" as having an ineffective or negative impact on Russia. Desai said he believes Russia has the potential to become more democratic in the years to come, citing the emergence of a new middle class and the rising quality of education as important contributing factors.

Regarding the worrying consolidation of power under Putin and rolling back of civil liberties, Berglöf warned that "the Cold War atmosphere is coming back" and referred to Russia's trends of strict supervision over NGOs and pulling out of nuclear treaties. The panelists also generally expressed concerns about the future of relations between the U.S. and Russia, given the absence of a strong common interest binding the two together like that which exists between Europe and Russia.

Before opening up for questions from the crowd, the moderated discussion concluded with a "lightning round" regarding Putin's future plans. While all five thought that future plans were unclear, they agreed that it was likely Putin would step down rather than seek an amendment that would allow him to run again.

The panelists fielded a wide range of questions regarding Russia's use of the gas and oil market as a political tool, freedom of the press, and the threat of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization treaty pull-out that had emerged earlier Friday morning. Regarding the pull-out, Gaidar defended Russia, saying that "any Russian head of state would be worried about the placement of these missiles," referring to the United States' proposition for a missile defense system in Europe.

The panelists defended Russia's right to make its own choices and to be free from outside influence. In response to a remark about Putin's alleged rolling back of civil liberties and other perceived transgressions, Gaidar said, "no one except the Russians can resolve these problems."