Lunchtime Series: Russia's Semi-Authoritarian Regime and its Citizen: Why is Putin so Popular and Can it Last?
Time & Location
About The Event
**We have reached capacity for this event. Please email us at info@wacmaine.org to see if waitlist spots are available.**
On New Year’s Eve 1999, Boris Yeltsin, the first president of the Russian Federation, stepped down and Vladimir Putin became the acting President of Russia. Over the past twenty years, Russia’s political system has developed and consolidated under Putin. In that time, Russian society has grown wealthier and more stable, while Russian politics have become more authoritarian. What are the sources of stability and instability in Russia current political regime? Could the regime’s legitimacy erode? And what is likely to happen in 2024 when Putin reaches the end of his last term in office? Bowdoin College professor Dr. Laura Henry considers the reasons why citizens have supported Putin’s regime and how public perceptions of Russian politics may be changing.
As always, this series is free and open to the public. Suggested donation for $10 for nonmembers. Please feel free to bring your lunch to eat during the presentation.
About the Speaker
Laura A. Henry is a Professor in the Department of Government and Legal Studies at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Her research investigates Russia’s post-Soviet transformation, focusing on state society relations, environmental politics, and the interaction of transnational and local actors. Henry’s current work compares how Russian NGOs engage in global governance institutions with their counterparts in China, Brazil, India, and South Africa. Henry is the author of Red to Green: Environmental Activism in Post-Soviet Russia (Cornell University Press, 2010) and the co-editor of Russian Civil Society: A Critical Assessment (M.E. Sharpe, 2006). Her work has appeared in Environmental Politics, Global Environmental Politics, Post-Soviet Affairs, Europe-Asia Studies among other journals. She has been a Watson Foundation fellow and a Fulbright Scholar. Her research has received support from the National Security Education Program, the Social Science Research Council, and the International Research and Exchange Board.