Political Science A360

Russian Politics

“ is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”- Winston Churchill

Fall 2019 Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30—10:45 a.m. Communications/Music 304

Instructor Dr. Natasha Bingham Email: [email protected] Office: Monroe Hall 281 Office Hours: TTH 2:00– 3:15 p.m., and by appointment Office Phone: 504-865-2794

Course Overview This course is an upper-level course on the politics of the Russian Federation. It focuses on the political, economic, and cultural institutions, major political players, and contemporary debates that have evolved since the fall of the . The course is organized into three different sections. The first section gives an overview of the revolutions of 1989 and the latter years of the Soviet Union. The second section focuses on the economic, political, and cultural developments in Russia during the Boris Yeltsin years. In particular, we focus on the development of Russia’s federalism, the first Chechen war, the rise of organized crime, and the rise of the oligarchs. The third section focus on contemporary Russia under . In particular, we focus on Putin’s consolidation of power after the Yeltsin years, political and economic developments under Putin including the recent economic troubles, restrictions on civil society and media, and cultural debates about ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and national identity. We further explore Russia’s relationship with the West, its former Soviet neighbors and its expanding global influence in the Middle East and Africa. We will end the class with a discussion about what the future holds for Russia and what a post-Putin Russia looks like.

Required Readings No required textbook is needed. Readings come from book chapters, academic journals, and news journals, and each will be posted on Blackboard.

It important for you to be familiar with Russian current events and these internet sources are helpful: The Moscow Times: www.moscowtimes.ru/ Carnegie-Moscow: www.carnegie.ru/en/ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russia Weekly: http://www.rferl.org/section/Russia/161.html Russian Voting Behavior, Elections, and Public Opinion: www.russiavotes.org Johnson’s Russia List: http://www.russialist.org/ Kremlin site: www.kremlin.ru/eng Pravda: english.pravda.ru/ Interfax: www.interfax.ru/ Russia Today: www.russiatoday.ru/ You can also examine Russian related topics from other news sources, such as The New York Times, The Economist, BBC, and Al Jazeera English.

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Course Goals and Objectives By the end of this course you will have an understanding of:  The reasons for the fall of the Soviet Union  The development of the Russian Federation after the fall of the Soviet Union  The development of Russia’s political, electoral, and party systems  Russia’s political, economic, and cultural developments under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin  Major challenges facing the Russian Federation under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin  Russia’s role in global politics  Theories of revolution, democracy, and authoritarianism

This course also fulfills the following goals of the department—  Goal 2: knowing and understanding political cultures, institutions, and processes of non-US governments.  Goal 2a: being able to discuss the major approaches of the study of comparative government and distinguish a variety of forms of government.  Goal 5: communicating political facts orally and in writing.  Goal 7: learning comparative methods to enhance critical and rigorous thinking.

Course Requirements Exams (55% of your final grade—Midterm 25% and Final 30%) The exams are non-cumulative. The midterm will cover Section I. Decline of Soviet Russia and Section II. Creating a New Russia, and the final exam will cover Section III. Contemporary Russia—Russia Under Putin. The exams will consist of identification questions, matching questions, and essay questions. Make sure to bring a blue book to both exams. Midterm is October 8, and the final exam is December 12. ***Makeup midterms can only be made up with only with a documented, valid excused absence. ***

Short Film (30% of your final grade—Short Film 22% and Annotated Bibliography and Script 8%) This project forces you to orally and visually present your research which will ascertain your grasp and comprehension of the class concepts and ability to bring those concepts to life through a visual medium. This project also allows you to embrace creativity that is sometimes absent from traditional political science research. The assignment permits you to infuse your own ideas, experiences, and viewpoints into your research while at the same time not to the sacrifice of classical exploration. Such an endeavor hopes to get you more engaged in the research process and also the class as a whole.

A five-minute short film (or music video, comic strip) is required in lieu of a written research paper. The project is due November 26. There will be two library instruction days dedicated to research instruction and introduction to the software Camtasia. The project should focus on a subject matter near and dear to contemporary Russian culture and politics. If there is a topic that you would prefer that is not listed, please come see me to get prior approval.

 Russia for all?: Russia and its ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities  Russian women and the feminist movement  The Russian Orthodox Church and contemporary Russian politics  Russia’s soft power: Oil politics and Russia’s relations with former Soviet republics  The fourth estate: The media in Russian politics  Reset?: US/EU-Russia relations 2

 Sexual minority rights and the LGBTQ movement in Russia  Transforming masculinity?: Putin and hypermasculinity in contemporary Russia  Where is civil society?: Social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and protest movements in Russia  The role of the citizen: Public opinion and political participation in Russia  Economic reform in Russia  Authoritarian, sovereign democracy, police state?: Democratic reform (and setbacks) in Russia  Expanding Russian influence: Russia’s role in global politics

The assignment will be due along with an annotated bibliography and a script. You will be graded on the clarity of your research question and thesis, strength of supporting evidence, logical organization of ideas, and thoughtful discussion of findings and their implication. A grading rubric is included at the end of the syllabus. You should approach this project as if it were a research paper, meaning your assignment should address the following questions: 1) What is the question/hypothesis? 2) What is the thesis statement? 3) What is the evidence/references to support the thesis? 4) What is the conclusion/findings?

Your short film (or music video, comic strip) should address these questions by presenting a visual narrative that is relevant to your hypothesis and thesis. It should do so in a manner that is clear and consistent, and just as a written paper should not contain irrelevant and distracting information, audio, or images. The short film (or music video, comic strip) should flow: hypothesis, thesis, evidence, and conclusion. The grading scale is located at the end of the syllabus.

***You need to set up a time to meet with me by October 31 to discuss your research question and at least three of your sources. Your will receive a zero for the assignment if you do not meet with me to get prior approval of your topic and sources prior to the due date.

*** Your short film (or music video, comic strip) will be docked half a letter grade for each day it is late. Assignments need to be emailed or uploaded online by November 26. You will need to turn in a hard copy of your annotated bibliography and script in class on November 26.

Critical Film Review (15% of your final grade) Russia has a rich and unique history, and there is no better way to understand that history than through film: hearing individuals in their own words and directors’ views of their own country. You will have to write a critical film review about one of the films below. The film review should be 5—7 pages long. The review should provide critical analysis of the film and integrate the class readings and class discussion. All films will stream on Blackboard two weeks before the film paper is due.  The Vanished Empire (2008) directed by Karen Shakhnazarov due September 12 (can access via YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfrmzk2zrTA)  My Perestroika (2010) directed by Robin Hessman (***if you took Comparative Government II you cannot choose this film***) due September 26  Alexandra (2007) directed by Alexander Sokurov due October 3  Brother (1997) directed by Aleksey Balabanov due October 10  12 (2007) directed by Nikita Mikhalkov due November 12  Putin’s Kiss (2012) directed by Lise Birk Pedersen due November 21 3

 The Return (2003) directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev due December 5

Critical film reviews should include:  A brief summary of the film  The film’s primary argument(s) and evidence to support your assumption(s) (please provide supporting scenes from the film)  The film’s strengths and weaknesses (and how these could be improved)  How the film fits into the overall themes of the class (readings and class discussion) (please be specific and explain thoroughly) (please provide supporting scenes from the film)  Would you recommend the film to someone interested in studying Russian politics? And why?

Paper Format:  An equivalent font to Times New Roman 12 pt.  1-inch margins  Cover page with name and date (should be page numbered 0)  Typed and double-spaced with page numbers  Must cite all sources (Wikipedia and encyclopedias are not proper sources!)  Hard copy that must be stapled or paper-clipped  Consistent citation style

***Papers that do not follow the format requirements will receive no higher than a C. ***Papers will be docked half a letter grade for each day they are late. Papers are to be turned in at the beginning of class.

Grading Policy/Grading Scale A: 90—100 B+:87—89 B: 80—86 C+: 77—79 C: 70—76 D+: 67—69 D: 60—66 F: 59—0

Course Expectations  You are expected to attend all classes. Those who do not attend class will not do well in this course. You are expected to keep up with the assigned readings according to the schedule below. This means dedicating substantial time to careful reading and thoughtful reflection before coming to class. Those who do not keep up with assigned readings well not do well in this course.  You must respect others’ opinions. No view is forbidden, but equally important, no view is protected from critical challenges. However, this does not mean personal attacks, humiliations or dismissals.  You are expected to keep your cell phones on vibrate or silent.  You are expected not to read texts or newspapers, surf the internet, do crossword puzzles, sleep, or anything else that could be considered disruptive while in class. All attention should be focused completely on this class. Any of these offensives could result in being dismissed from that day’s class.

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 You are expected to be on time for class. It is distracting when people come in and get settled while class is being conducted. As a result, once the door is closed, do not enter the classroom. If there is a reason why you would be perpetually late, please come see me as soon as possible.  You are expected to not begin packing up before class is over. It is extremely disruptive and disrespectful to me and fellow classmates.  During exams, all materials (i.e., textbooks, notebooks, cell phones) need to be put away and cannot be viewed during the exams. Any deviations will result in a zero for the exam.

Instructor Pledge I am here to help you throughout the semester with any questions about the course or assignments. However, do not wait until right before exams or papers are due to ask them. I will consistently maintain office hours and check my email on a regular basis. My office is always open so please feel free to stop in anytime. If at anytime I have to cancel office hours or class, I will post an announcement on Blackboard (http://loyno.blackboard.com/).

Office for Accessible Education Loyola is committed to offering classes that are inclusive. If you encounter disability related barriers in a course, please let the Office for Accessible Education (OAE) know immediately. To find out more about the accommodations process or if you need to discuss the accommodations you may be eligible for, please see our contact information below. Undergraduate and graduate students with last names starting with A-M may contact: Samantha Pollard Phone: 504-865-2070 Email: [email protected] Undergraduate and graduate students with last names starting with N-Z may contact: Dario Bayardo Phone: 504-865-2108 Email: [email protected] Law students may contact: Carol Magendie Law School Room 345 Phone: 504-861-5494 Email: [email protected] Monroe Library, 2nd Floor 504-865-2990 (front office) Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.loyno.edu/success/disability-services

Emergency Procedures At times, ordinary university operations are interrupted as a result of tropical storms, hurricanes, or other emergencies that require evacuation or suspension of on-campus activities. To prepare for such emergencies, review the following instructions: http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/students- emergencyresponsibilities.

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Academic Honesty and Plagiarism These regulations make up the Academic Honor Code for students at Loyola. This includes definitions of academic dishonesty such as plagiarism, and the processes determining findings of academic dishonesty and governing appeals. For more information, go to: Undergraduate and Graduate (non-law): http://2018bulletin.loyno.edu/academicregulations/ academic-honesty-and-plagiarism Law: http://2017bulletin.loyno.edu/law/academic-regulations-overview#honor-code

University Counseling Center The University Counseling Center, located on the 2nd floor of the Danna Center, provides mental healthcare for all currently enrolled Loyola students. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and services are free. Counseling is available 24/7 by contacting the UCC counselor-on-call. During business hours, call 504.865.3835 to schedule an appointment and/or to request to speak with the counselor on-call. After hours and on weekends, call 504.865.3835 and press 1 at the voicemail prompt to be immediately connected to a trained and licensed mental health professional. Please visit our website at http://studentaffairs.loyno.edu/counseling for more information.

Title IX Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. Under Title IX, discrimination on the basis of sex can include sexual harassment, sexual violence, stalking, dating violence, domestic abuse, and discrimination within housing, athletics, and employment. If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination on the basis of sex or are aware of discrimination occurring, Loyola encourages you to report the incident. If you believe you have been a victim of discrimination on the basis of sex or are aware of sex discrimination occurring, Loyola encourages you to report the incident to one of the contacts below: Tommy Screen, Director of Government & Legal Affairs/Title IX Coordinator For general assistance and official notification to the University: (504) 864-7082, [email protected] Student Affairs: Diana M. Ward, Ph.D, Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Students To file a report, change living accommodations, if a Loyola student is involved and official notification to the University: (504) 864-7151 Human Resources: Heather Blanchard, Human Resources Representative If a Loyola staff member is involved and for official notification to the University, (504) 865-7896, [email protected] Office of the Provost: Alice Clark, PhD. If a Loyola faculty member is involved and for official notification to the University, (504) 865-3065, [email protected] University Police: for immediate emergency response and official notification to the University, (504) 865-3434

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Blackboard and Online Learning Support for Students Go to: http://library.loyno.edu/services/online/student.php.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Annually, Loyola University New Orleans informs students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. This Act, with which the institution intends to comply fully, was designated to protect the privacy of educational records. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/records/annual-notice-students-ferpa. 6

J. Edgar & Louise S. Monroe Library Librarians and library staff are eager to help online students with finding, accessing, evaluating, and using books, journals, and many other information sources you might need for your coursework. The Monroe Library has a faculty librarian assigned to each program of study. Get to know your liaison and all of the things he or she can do for you. Make an appointment for help with your research paper or project. You can make an appointment to talk to a librarian in person, over the phone or through virtual conferencing to get help with any aspect of a research project. Library Liaison Directory Main library phone: 504-864-7111 https://library.loyno.edu Monroe Library Chat Email us or use this contact form.

Law Library http://law.loyno.edu/library. Information Technology Information Technology provides on-campus computer systems assistance and technical support to students, faculty, and staff, through the support units of client services, computer services, distributed systems, telecommunications, and information management. Visit us online: http://academicaffairs.loyno.edu/infotech/student-computing Phone: (504) 865-2255

Student Success Center – Located on the second floor of the Monroe Library, the SSC is the one stop shop for assistance with academic success, writing, tutoring, career development and more. Go to http://www.loyno.edu/success.

The Office of Writing and Learning Services (OWLS) Located in the Student Success Center on the 2nd floor of the Monroe Library, OWLS offers a centralized space for all tutoring on campus. Free peer tutoring is provided in a wide variety of subjects, including mathematics, writing, science, and business. OWLS is a space where all students come to gain confidence and strengthen their academic skills. Visit us on the second floor of the Monroe Library, call us at 865-2990, or make an appointment at https://loyno.mywconline.com/.

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Course Outline and Readings Readings are subject to change. I will inform you in class of any changes in the syllabus. Readings are meant to be read prior to the class.

I. The Decline of Soviet Russia

Class 1 (August 20): Introduction to the Course

Class 2 (August 22): Life Under the Soviet Union  Watch The Singing Revolution (2006) directed by James Tusty

Class 3 (August 27): Revolutions of 1989  Pop, Adrian. 2013. “The 1989 Revolutions in Retrospect.” Europe-Asia Studies 65 (2): 347—369.

Class 4 (August 29): The Collapse of Soviet Russia  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “Perestroika—The Great Awakening: 1985—87, pp. 11—42.

Class 5 (September 3): The Collapse of Soviet Russia  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “The Collapse: 1988—91, pp. 43—83.  Gorbachev, Mikhail S. 1991. “I Share the Blame for the Coup,” pp. 714—717.

Class 6 (September 5): Was the Soviet Union Doomed to Fail?  Gorbachev, Mikhail S. 1995. “Resignation Speech, December 25, 1991,” in The Soviet System: From Crisis to Collapse, eds. Alexander Dallinn and Gail W. Lapidus, pp. 644—647.  Cohen, Stephen. 2004. “Was the Soviet System Reformable?” Slavic Review 63 (3): 459—488.

II. Creating a New Russia Class 7 (September 10): The Yeltsin Years—Ambitious Reforms and a Power Struggle  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “Revolution: 1991—1993,” in Russia’s Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, pp. 85—127.

Class 8 (September 12): The Yeltsin Years—The Fall of the Managers and the Rise of the Oligarchs  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “The Rise and Fall of State Enterprise Managers: 1994—1995,” in Russia’s Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, pp. 129—152.

Class 9 (September 17): The Yeltsin Years—The Fall of the Managers and the Rise of the Oligarchs  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “The Oligarchy: 1996—98,” in Russia’s Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, pp. 157—187.

Class 10 (September 19): The Yeltsin Years—Russian Federalism  Shevtsova, Lilia. 1999. “Moscow’s Chechen War: 1994—95,” Yeltsin’s Russia, pp. 107—129.

Class 11 (September 24): Library Instruction

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Class 12 (September 26): The Yeltsin Years—Superpresidentialism and Russian Democracy  Clark, William. 2011. “Boxing Russia: Executive-Legislative Powers and the Categorization of Russia’s Regime Type.” Demokratizatsiya 19 (1): 5—22.

Class 13 (October 1): The Yeltsin Years—Russia’s Challenges  Handelman, Stephen. 1994. “The Russian ‘Mafiya’.” Foreign Affairs 73 (2): 83—96.  Orlova, Alexandra V. “From Social Dislocation to Human Trafficking: The Russian Case.” Problems of Post-Communism 51 (6): 14—22.  Rhein, Wendy. 1998. “The Feminization of Poverty: Unemployment in Russia.” Journal of International Affairs 52 (1): 351—367.

Class 14 (October 3): Was Russian Democracy Doomed From the Start?  Shevtsova, Lilia. 1999. “Boris Yeltsin and the Future of Democracy in Russia,” in Yeltsin’s Russia, pp. 269—292.

Class 15 (October 8): Midterm

III. Contemporary Russia—Russia Under Putin Class 16 (October 10): From Yeltsin to Putin  Aslund, Anders. 2007. “Postrevolutionary Stabilization: 1999—2003,” in Russia’s Capitalist Revolution: Why Market Reform Succeeded and Democracy Failed, pp. 189—232.  Solanka, Laura, and Pekka Sutela. 2019. “Economic Policy,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 149—166.

Class 17 (October 15): Fall Break

Class 18 (October 17): Who is Vladimir Putin?  Sakwa, Richard. 2019. “Political Leadership,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 27—48.

Class 19 (October 22): Putin’s Power Vertical—Parliament and Parties  Remington, Thomas F. 2016. “Parliament and the Dominant Party Regime,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 43—61.  Hendley, Kathryn. 2019. “The Role of Law,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 69—88.

Class 20 (October 24): Library Instruction

Class 21 (October 29): Putin’s Power Vertical—One Oligarch for Another  Dawisha, Karen. 2014. “Russia, Putin, and the Future of Kleptocratic Authoritarianism,” in Putin’s Kleptocracy, pp. 266—312.

Class 22 (October 31): Putin’s Power Vertical—The Regions  Petrov, Nikolai, and Darrell Slider. 2019. “Regional Politics,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 49—68.

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Class 23 (November 5): Putin’s Power Vertical—The Regions and Its Minorities  Ware, Robert. 2011. “Has the Russian Federation Been Chechenised?” Europe-Asia Studies 63 (3): 493—508.

Class 24 (November 7): Putin’s Power Vertical—Civil Society and the Media  Evans Jr., Alfred B. 2016. “Civil Society and Protest,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 89—108.

Class 25 (November 12): Putin’s Power Vertical—Color Revolutions and Counter-Revolution  Atwal, Maya, and Edwin Bacon. 2012. “The Youth Movement Nashi: Contentious Politics, Civil Society, and Party Politics.” East European Politics 28 (3): 256—266.  Finkel, Evgeny, and Yitzhak M. Brudny. 2012. “Russia and the Colour Revolutions.” Democratization 19 (1): 15—36.

Class 26 (November 14): Putin’s Power Vertical—The Masculinization of Russia  Sperling, Valerie. 2014. “Everywhere and Nowhere: Sexism and Homophobia in Russian Politics,” in Sex, Politics, and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia, pp. 169—221.

Class 27 (November 19): Putin’s Power Vertical— Russian Nationalism  Laruelle, Marlene. 2016. “The Three Colors of Novorossiya, Or the Russian Nationalist Mythmaking of the Ukrainian Crisis.” Post-Soviet Affairs 32 (1): 55—74.

Class 28 (November 21): Putin’s Power Vertical— Russia and Its Reluctant Neighbors  Tsygankov, Andrei. 2015. “Vladimir Putin’s Last Stand: The Sources of Russia’s Policy.” Post- Soviet Affairs 31 (4): 279—303.  Hedlund, Stefan. 2019. “Energy,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 291—312.

Class 29 (November 26): Putin’s Power Vertical— Russia and the West  Tsygankov, Andrei. 2019. “Relations with the United States,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 209—226.  Mankoff, Jeffrey. 2016. “Relations with the European Union,” in Putin’s Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain, ed. Stephen K. Wegren, pp. 227—246. ***Short Film due

Class 30 (November 28): Thanksgiving Holiday

Class 31 (December 3): Russia’s Expanding Influence  Schmitt, Eric. 2019. “Russia’s Military Mission Creep Advances to a New Front: Africa” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/world/africa/russia-military-africa.html.  Al Jazeera. 2019. “Syrian Rebels Say Russia Deploys Ground Troops in Idlib Push.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/07/syrian-rebels-russia-deploys-ground-troops-idlib-push- 190718095908697.html.  O’Connor, Tom. 2019. “Cold War in the West: Russia Comes to Latin America as U.S. Relations Fail.” Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/cold-war-west-russia-latin-america-us-relations-1264398.

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Class 32 (December 5): What is Russia’s Post-Putin Future?  Gessen, Masha. 2016. “What Russia After Putin?” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/opinion/what-russia-after-putin.html.

Class 33 (December 12): Final Exam (9:00—11:00 a.m.)

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