Presentation Transcript

1. DAY 1 Russia 1st Period- Chandler Kirchner, Sasha Zlatopolsky, Averi Donaldson, Patrick Scott, and Will Monico
2. Introduction Official name: Russian Federation Capital city: Moscow Population(2012): 143.5 million Size: 17,075,200 square km; about 1.8 the size of the United States (largest country in the world-area) Currency: Ruble Spans 11 time zones
3. Other Pertinent Geography Less than 8% of Russia’s land is arable 45% is forested Rich in natural resources (minerals, timber, oil, and natural gas) concentrated in western Siberia and northern Russia  majority of economic wealth
4. Regime History Re-formed as an independent state with the collapse of communist rule in December 1991 Current constitution since December 1993 (1993 Constitutional Crisis) Government all together referred to as the Kremlin
5. Levels of Government Constitutionally a federal system, with 83 subnational governments with their own regional legislature Politically centralized After the Russian Federation became an independent state, the problem of union republics demanding independence resurfaced
6. Subnational Governments Power vertical and Putin  Define Beslan attacks (2004)  Putin blamed local governments Local governors now nominated by the president and approved by the regional legislature
7. Executive Dual executive (president and prime minister) President is directly elected Prime minister appointed by the president with approval of the lower house of parliament (State Duma) Presidential system
8. President- Powers and Responsibilities Current President: Vladimir Putin President also considered the head of state, and until 2008 the office held primary power Traditionally, the president oversees foreign policy, relations with regions, and organs of state security Boris Yeltsin resignation Dec 1999  power shifts to president
9. Presidential Power Most important power  authority to issue decrees (ukase) -allows the president to ignore an uncooperative government -Ex: Yeltsinand Chechnya (1994 and 1999)
10. Presidential Powers Cont. The president can - call a state of emergency - impose martial law - grant pardons - call referendums -and temporarily suspend actions of other state organs if he deems them to contradict the constitution or federal laws Some of these actions have to be confirmed by other state organs i.e. upper house of parliament the Federation Council
11. Powers and Impeachment Commander-in-chief of the armed forces Conducts affairs of state with other nations Impeachment involves the two house of parliament (the Duma and the Federation Council), the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Court -in other words  rarely occurs President dies or resigns, the prime minister takes his/her place until elections are held
12. Prime Minister- Powers and Responsibilities Current Prime Minister: Dmitri Medvedev Head of government Picked by president and approved by the Duma Flanked by varying numbers of deputy prime ministers Can be removed by the Duma through two repeat votes of no confidence passed within a three-month period
13. Elections Relatively high voter turnout  70%in the 2008 presidential vote National elections  extensive media coverage Higher turnout  appearance of legitimacy National elections were considered reasonably fair up until 2003, fairness of recent elections is still questioned
14. National Bureaucracy Some government ministries report directly to the president Ministers other than the prime minister do not require parliamentary approval. Prime minister makes recommendations, and the president chooses them Patronage is very common
15. Legislature Bicameral, asymmetric Upper house  Federation Council Lower House  State Duma Together called the Federal Assembly
16. Federation Council Represents Russia’s constituent federal units Has two members from each of Russia’s federal regions and republics Many prominent businessmen are among the appointees, patronage is also common Party factions  not significant Deputies to the Federal Council and the Duma are granted immunity from criminal prosecution Has the power to delay legislation
17. Not this… But this…
18. State Duma 450 members, electoral system = proportional representation Council (ten members) and 32 committees Elects its own speaker (or chair) Within the Duma, factions unite deputies from the same party Holds most legislative power http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZGaaqH2o6I
19. Parliamentary Powers Constitution grants parliament powers in the legislative and budgetary areas If there is conflict with the president or government, the powers can only be exercised if parliament operates with a high degree of unity President can override acts of parliament with a veto Each house has power to confirm certain presidential appointees Federation Council has to approve presidential degrees relating to martial law and state emergencies, as well as deploying troops abroad
20. Policy-Making Process In order for a bill to become law it must… If the bill is vetoed by the president… -Many policy proclamations have been made through presidential of governmental decrees, w/o formal consultation with the legislative branch
21. Elections Until 2007, the electoral system for selecting the Duma was a combination of proportional representation (w/ 5% threshold) and winner-take-all districts The 2007 election introduced a new electoral system involving one national proportional representation district, with the minimum threshold raised to 7%
22. The New System For parties above the 7% threshold, choice of deputies from the party list must reflect strength of the vote in the various regions In addition, in order to participate in the election, a party must have affiliates in more than half of the regions of Russia (2001)
23. 2013 Change Replaces a system of strict party-list voting The new system came just after a year after allegations of widespread fraud in the parliamentary elections in December 2011 set off a wave of huge street protests in Moscow
24. Protests over Election Fraud (2011) Next presidential election: March 2018 Next parliamentary election: March 2016
25. Major Political Parties Only one truly dominant party: United Russia In the USSR, the Communist Party (CPSU) dominated not only state organs but also oversaw all social institutions -Approx. 10% of adults in the Soviet Union were party members -the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) has steadily declined in strength after a strong showing in the 1995 elections
26. United Russia Dominated Russian politics since 2003, why? -association with Putin and huge political machine capable of winning over regional elites Poorly defined program -emphasizes the uniqueness of the Russian approach -an appeal to values of order and law -continued commitment to moderate reform
27. Other Parties Communist Party of the Russian Federation Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) A Just Russia Other Liberal Democratic Parties (Russia’s Choice, Russia’s Democratic Choice, and the Union of Rightist Forces)
28. 2011 Party Seat totals
29. Leadership and Elite Recruitment Russian politics are dominated by men and people of Russian ethnicity Connections with other elites get a candidate in office To increase women in government, United Russia has nominated female celebrities like athletes, actresses, and even a ballerina
30. Interest Groups When Mikhail Gorbachev took office as Communist Party leader in March 1985, he introduced a reform program to spur economic growth. -glasnost-petrestroika These policies allowed for the rising of interests groups in the USSR During the Yeltsin period, business magnates (referred to often as oligarchs) were able to exert behind-the-scenes influence in policy-making Putin has attempted to reduce the direct political influence of powerful economic figures
31. Examples of Interest Groups Federation of Independent Trade Unions (1990) The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE) (1991) Going Together/Walking Together youth group (May 2000) Nashi youth group (March 2005)
32. Military and Security Organs Because of Putin’s career background in the KGB, many of his staff are from this arena Federal Security Service is the successor of the KGB Soviet military was second only to the US Defense spending declined in the 1990, the increased again after 2000, but is still far below Soviet levels There is universal male conscription. In 2008, the mandatory service was reduced from two years to one year
33. The Judiciary There was a Constitutional Court in 1991, but Yeltsin suspended the operations of the court in late 1993 However, the Russian constitution now provides for a Constitutional Court again -It has the power to adjudicate disputes on the constitutionality of federal and regional laws as well as jurisdictional disputes between various political institutions Judges are nominated by the president and approved by the Federation Council Been known to be involved in protecting individuals’ rights and conforming regional laws with constitutional requirements Rarely confront the executive branch
34. Lower Courts Along with Constitutional Court, there is an extensive system of lower and appellate courts, with the Supreme Court at the pinnacle The Federation Council must approve nominees for Supreme Court judgeships The constitution also grants the president power to appoint judges at other levels Type of law used: code
35. DAY 2 Russia
36. Political Culture Attitude toward the Government Glasnost Putin’s Approval Rating
37. Political Cleavages Nationality Religion Social Class
38. Political Socialization Citizens attitude and connection to government Civil Society Nashi
39. Role of the Media Pravda Under Putin there is some freedom of press
40. Political participation Voting Voter participation is higher in Russia than the US Complaints and Protest
41. Political Violence December 31, 2010, dozens of political protestors were arrested, leader Boris Nemtsov held for 15 days Estimated 52 journalists have been murdered since 1992 March 31st to April 1st, 2009, Lev Alexandrovich Ponomarev, a former deputy in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR was brutally attacked
42. Role of Women Women in Politics and Workplace “Double Burden”
43. Role of minorities Due to the extremely diverse population, minorities enjoy the same rights and freedoms as majorities.
44. Conflicts 1991: Georgian Civil War 1992: East Prigorodny Conflict 2008: Russo-Georgian War 2009-: Insurgency in North Caucasus
45. Social Movements Political and social organizations have sprung up. Putin’s restrictive legislation slows progress. Without the help of the West many of these NGO’s have not found success in their causes.
46. Modern Political Changes Communist from 1917-1991. After the Russian Revolution, the czar was overthrown, Lenin takes power. In 1990 Boris Yeltsin was then elected President of Russia. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia started transitioning to democracy. Similar to electoral democracy. Pluralist institutions in Russia are weak. Interest groups are restricted.
47. Consequences of Change Conservative Russian citizens miss the communist days. The majority of Russia is completely in favor of becoming more democratic. When Russia became a democracy, it developed better relationships with the US and other allies. The overall central government is not very corrupt, but state governments are incredibly corrupt.
48. Modern Economic Changes In 1989 a transition from a command economy to a free market economy began. The goal: to move away from communism as fast as possible. (shock therapy) The collapse of communism created the opportunity for the movement of capital, labor and goods across national borders while increasing economic competition. The US helped Russia start privatizing state assets.
49. Consequences of Economic Transition Labor markets took a big hit because of the reforms. Markets had high unemployment and a decrease in real wages. Russia went through a steep recession as inflation increased. The standard of living dramatically decreased. There are also signs that Russia is moving towards a corporate democracy. Businesses can now be owned by private sectors and there is more opportunity for success.
50. Relationship between Political and Economic Reform Wealth is most definitely not shared. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer Political elites are usually incredibly wealthy from other ties These elites try to gain more money and their economic reforms usually only benefit them; the poor suffer
51. Effect on Globalization Russia’s original reforms were all for globalizing. Russia wanted to gain a more western style democracy. Although because Russia will not enter the EU it is clear that it wants to stay clear of what the other countries in Europe are doing. Russia is looking like it is pushing for a corporate democracy because of all of the oligarchical corruption that is occurring. If this were to occur corruption would increase even more and people who are not elites would suffer even more.
52. This year’s winter Olympics brought Russia back into the international spotlight while also bringing with it not only economic growth but also terrorist threats. The increased globalization from this event is yet to be seen.
53. DAY 3 Russia
54. Influences on Public Policy Appointed officials and head of the government implement and influence public policymaking. (Parliament, President, and Prime Minister) Interest groups need government
55. Supranational and international Institutions influencing policies Russia holds a permanent seat. Russia is the EU's biggest neighbor and third biggest trading partner. Russia is a current member of the World Bank, NATO, and the WTO.
56. Major Policy Issues Russia's unemployment is 5.6 % To pursue economic growth, Russia must develop its human capital. Government surveillance causes concern for civil liberties. Russian widespread corruption is prettyyyyyy bad Russia’s air is also incredibly polluted.
57. Russian Unemployment
58. Other Major Issues The relationship with Ukraine LGBT rights Relations with other neighboring post-Soviet countries (i.e. Georgia) Trying to become an equal partner with US and Europe Join EU?
59. Major Problems According to Forbes Magazine, Russia’s top three problems are… Global Energy Landscape Weak institutions Social cohesion
60. Now time for…