Anna Arutunyan on the Myth of Authoritarian Russia
Western media characterizations of Russia as an authoritarian or even totalitarian state are untrue, argues Anna Arutunyan. The Moscow News editor sets out two reasons why Putin’s Russia defies Western perceptions: first, the reestablishment of authoritarian rule in Russia is a simplification on the part of Western journalists, who draw much of their information from oppositional sources. Second, these sources have a vested interest in feeding this myth. Russia’s government is actually less strong and powerful than Western observers care to admit. This can be observed in Putin’s approach toward treating the CIS states as independent countries.
