Russias dual state Janet Elise Johnson Brooklyn College

Russia’s dual state Janet Elise Johnson Brooklyn College, CUNY Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu Presented June 13, 2011 at the AP reading for Comp Go. Po

PRACTICAL • To update information about Russia • To introduce a potentially useful theoretical framework for understanding Russia NORMATIVE • To illustrate how to integrate social justice concerns MORE SPECULATIVE • To suggest some radical ways to begin to reimagine comparative politics Objectives Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

• Upcoming “elections” in Russia • Duma elections scheduled for December 2011 • Presidential elections for March 2012 censored last Thursday by EP for restricting opposiition rights • “Democratic recession” around the globe since 2008* • Moving beyond the transition paradigm 1. thicker concept of democracy: electoral democracy vs. constitutional liberalism 2. many states in the grey zone: “hybrid regimes” and “soft authoritarianism” 3. ? Context Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu *Larry Diamond. 2008. “Democracy

The basic way I teach comparative political institutions* POLITICAL SOCIETY STATE Executive Bureaucracy Parliaments Judiciary Parties Military and Intelligence Elections CIVIL SOCIETY Key organizations and their prominence Conditions for civil society: independence of the media Protection of civil liberties *thanks to Jean C. Robinson Corrup -tion

The dual state • like 1930 s Germany where a prerogative state that exercised power arbitrarily and without constraints existed alongside a constitutional state • • • legitimacy is rooted in constitutionalism, but a parallel Byzantine parapolitics of factions & informal groups not just de facto vs. de jure, but paraconstitutionalism consolidated through Putin’s modernization program to “normalize” the Yeltsin period

• most obvious example of dual state: Putin’s 2008 move from Pres to PM • Putin’s commitment to a modernizing project and the letter of the constitution vs. his commitment to governance rooted in Russian traditions • result: what Russians call tandemocracy* • power sharing between Putin and Medvedev since 2008 elections • based on a personal agreement • important disagreements 1. Executive-parliamentary relations *Perhaps the “The Team” for the oligarchy Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu see http: //www. chathamhouse. org. uk/publications/papers/view//id/1070/

Semi-presidential Superexecutive • Constitution: Duma must approve president’s PM nominee • Costs of rejecting nominee three times precipitates dissolution • Typical categorization by comparative politics textbooks • Fish (2000): superpresidentialism • a form of government in which presidents are more than just figureheads but are ultimately subordinate to the parliament Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu • huge apparatus of executive power • presidential control of the purse • presidential decrees • almost impossible impeachment • little legislative oversight • little judicial oversight

Neither or both? Failure of constitutional liberalism or lack of a spirit of constitutionalism? Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

Freedom of expression No freedom of the press* • def: freedom to say what you want • def: ability to hold the govt accountable • independent small audience media proliferating: print dailies and weeklies, smaller TV stations, blogs, etc. • govt take over of national TV stations • no live political talk shows or political satire • biased coverage of terrorism and Chechnya • mysterious contract killings of journalists 2. The media Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu *Masha Lipman & Michael Mc. Faul in After Putin’s Russia (2010)

Rule by law • Putin strengthened • qualifications • accountability • accessibility • police now must get search warrants • more jury trials & jurors becoming activists Not rule of law • “telephone justice” • FSB getting acquittals reversed, not allowing jury trials, going after defense attorneys • 1/5 ECHR cases are from Russia (pays fines, but no policy change) • Khodorkovksy just won $35, 000 for rights abuse 3. Dual system of law Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

• Duma • primary legislature • elected through PR w/ 7% threshold • Federation Council • represents regions • Public Chamber (2005) • forum for policy discussion • members chosen by Putin • State Council (2000) • 7 governors chosen by Kremlin 4. “Parallel parliaments”* Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu *Thomas Remington in After Putin’s Russia (2010)

• Elections where • But, dominant party system secured through multiple parties • loyal majority since 2000 s, win • President • Duma • mayors supramajority since 2003 • Party of power (United Russia) throughout country • change electoral rules to eliminate regional powers • direct control of Fed Council • justified through war on terrorism Duality: Creation of “loyal opposition” 5. Parties and elections Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

• many NGOs remain untouched • protests have increased, especially regarding social issues • some have even succeeded • Public Chamber channels and funds favored NGOs • Kremlin-supported groups such as Nashi etc. 6. “Imitation civil society”* Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu *Masha Lipman

Asymmetric ethnofederalism • constitution • but chaotic decentralization under Yeltsin • bilateral treaties • ad hoc • “brown areas” Power vertical by siloviki • 7 federal districts/supergovernors • appted FC with a lot of Kremlin input • appted governors with a lot of Kremlin input • United Russia as a superparty and banning regional political parties • changing to PR (over FPTP) nationally and regionally 7. Fake federalism Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

• all companies have two sets of books • appearance of transparency for FDI • but then use shell companies, off-shore banking, etc. • two ways of doing things: legally and through bribes 8. Dual economy Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

Regime type: democratic, hybrid, or authoritarianism? “Authoritarian democracy”* *several AP Comp Go. Po students, Q 8, 2011, who aren’t getting credit for assessing the regime type of Russia Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

http: //www. sadanduseless. com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/104. jpg Intersectional consequences Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

Women in formal politics Interparliamentary Union, http: //www. ipu. org/wmn-e/world. htm Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

a. Gender • more women in formal politics • women dominate NGO sector • facilitated by transnational women’s movement pressures and European supranational institutions Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu • but in the parallel universe • siloviki dominate • KGB-like strategies: compromat • national identity fostered through homophobic masculinity (muzhik)

Parallel universe • control by all • huge rich/poor gap male oligarchs • disastrous working age male • just as corrupt as mortality before, if not • but women entrepreneurship and more so increased state paternalism: • crisis centers + maternity capital • “Accessible Surroundings” for the disabled b. +Social class Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu http: //www. blogcdn. com/www. luxist. com/media/2007/01/abram

Health like a habit, 2008 Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity, 2008 (Moscow Times) Responsible man campaign Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

Grozny 2007 -9 http: //graphics 8. nytimes. com/images/2007/09/30/world/30 grozny. 600. jpg c. +Race: Chechnya Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu http: //cdni. condenast. co. uk/646 x 430/a_c/chech nya_news_cnt_20 nov 09_pa_646. jpg

Pres. Khadyrov http: //www. wunrn. com/news/2008/04_07_08/040708_ru ssia_files/image 001. jpg parallel universe veiling by paintball, 2011 http: //1. bp. blogspot. com/x. Pv 9 KK 5 RAsw/TXk 8 evyz. Td. I/AAAAJJM/B 5 e 5 M 7 ir 6 w/s 1600/Chechen%2 Bwomen. jpg

Corrupting the accountability mechanisms of democracy, but not unconstitutional Undermining institutions by making personalistic despite the temporary stability/growth Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

ümove beyond transition theory: • use “hybrid” countries as at the model not the West üisn’t dual system also at work in Western countries? • 2008 -9 financial crisis created by unelected officials • the virtual finance economy dwarfs the real economy • not bribe-paying, not clientalism, mostly perfectly legal Implications Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu http: //media. entertainment. sky. com/image/unscaled/2010/11/19/Inside-Job-6. jpg

vmale architects of financial crisis undermined the most powerful women’s policy agency in the world vbut then: government collapse, replaced with a gender balanced government, 40% quota for corp boards by 2012* Women’s Strike 2010 gendered consequences: Iceland Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu *http: //www. thenation. com/signup/158279? destination=article/15827 9/most-feminist-place-world

Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu

Can we really think about politics anywhere without the parallel universe? Janet Elise Johnson@brooklyn. cuny. edu