“It is important to remember that some of the most serious thinkers once thought that democracy was not compatible with the cultures of Germany, Italy, Japan, Latin America and Russia.” ImportantAmericaRememberCultureLiteratureDemocracySeriousRussiaGermanyJapanLatinThinkerLatin AmericaCompatible Author:Natan Sharansky
“Despite elections and the experience of post-Soviet personal freedoms by the Russian people, the fate of democracy in Russia is perhaps more ambiguous now than at any time since the collapse of the Communist system.” PeopleDemocracyFateElectionRussiaDespitePostsCommunistSovietCollapseAmbiguityAmbiguousPersonal Freedom Author:Richard Lugar
“Look, America is no more a democracy than Russia is a Communist state. The governments of the U.S. and Russia are practically the same. There's only a difference of degree. We both have the same basic form of government: economic totalitarianism. In other words, the settlement to all questions, the solutions to all issues are determined not by what will make the people most healthy and happy in their bodies and their minds but by economics. Dollars or rubles.” PeopleMindLooksStatesBodyGovernmentAmericaFormDifferencesDemocracyIssuesEconomicHealthyDegreesSolutionsEconomicsDollarsDeterminedRussiaCommunistTotalitarianismForms Of GovernmentSettlementHealthy And Happy Book:Another Roadside Attraction Source: Another Roadside Attraction
“We have, on the whole, more liberty and less equality than Russia has. Russia has less liberty and more equality. Whether democracy should be defined primarily in terms of liberty or equality is a source of unending debate.” ShouldWholeTermLibertyDemocracySourceDebateRussiaDefinedUnending Author:Reinhold Niebuhr
“It took six weeks of debate in the Senate to get the Arms Embargo Law repealed--and we face other delays during the present session because most of the Members of the Congress are thinking in terms of next Autumn's election. However, that is one of the prices that we who live in democracies have to pay. It is, however, worth paying, if all of us can avoid the type of government under which the unfortunate population of Germany and Russia must exist.” IfsThinkingGovernmentFacesLawNextTermPayDemocracyWeekArmsTypeMembersSixElectionCongressPopulationDebateRussiaGermanyAutumnSenateDictatorshipUnfortunateDelaySessionDemocracies HaveEmbargo Author:Franklin D. Roosevelt
“We all accuse Vladimir Putin of Cold War nostalgia, but Washington's elites - politicians and intellectuals - miss the old days as well. They wish for the world in which the United States was utterly dominant over its friends, its foes were to be shunned entirely, and the challenges were stark, moral, and vital. Today's world is messy and complicated. China is one of our biggest trading partners and our looming geopolitical rival. Russia is a surly spoiler, but it has a globalized middle class and has created ties in Europe.” WorldWellsWarStatesRealityTodayPoliticsWishCommunityChallengesLeadershipUnitedMoneyMoralClassHistoryUnited StatesDemocracyGenerationsMiddleMissingPolicyColdPoliticianEthicsEuropeTradeStrategyHuman RightsChinaComplicatedNostalgiaPartnersRussiaIdeologyTiesMiddle ClassOver ItElitesForeign PolicyDominantCold WarTradingDiplomacyFoeFree MarketRivalsCivilityMessyPutinOld DaysStarksToday's WorldLoomingGeopoliticalSurlySpoilersTrading Partners Author:Fareed Zakaria
“I ask myself whether Russia is moving in the direction of democracy. I don't believe it is! Bit by bit, Russia is slipping back into an authoritarian empire.” BelieveMovingAsksBitsDemocracyDon't BelieveRussiaEmpiresSlippingMoving In Author:Vladimir Sorokin
“The Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov once said: In a Democracy, portraits of a nation's leader should never exceed the size of a postage stamp. That won't happen so quickly in Russia.” ShouldSaidHappensNationsLeaderDemocracySizeRussiaPortraitsStampsExceedPostagePostage Stamps Author:Vladimir Sorokin
“It will be difficult, even painful, but democracy will prevail in Russia. There will be no dictatorship, although relapses into authoritarianism are possible.” DifficultDemocracyPainfulRussiaDictatorshipAuthoritarianismRelapse Author:Mikhail Gorbachev
“But how can you speed up the transformation of society in a country as large as Russia? Those sounding the moral outcry are the ones who are trying to dictate their standards from the outside. Of course, that isn't the right way to go either. One cannot impose democracy from the other side of national borders, which is something we ourselves experienced during the communist era. The West's policies toward Eastern Europe, the Helsinki process - none of that really helped us.” WayTryingCountryCoursesProcessSidesMoralDemocracyPolicyStandardsEuropeTransformationWestSpeedRussiaErasBordersCommunistRight WayEasternEastern EuropeNational BordersHelsinki Author:Vaclav Klaus
“We had in the West a very romantic vision of Russia back in 1991, when the Soviet Union died and whatever is Russia began to emerge. And we began to think of it as a democracy. We're going to bring it into the West. All is going to be wonderful. That was never in the cards.” ThinkingVisionDemocracyWonderfulDiedUnionsWestRussiaCardsSovietSoviet UnionVery Romantic Author:Marvin Kalb
“I would like to see Russia develop as democratically as possible. But when we judge Russia we must also consider where the country is coming from. Our concepts of democracy can't just be schematically transferred. However, I do admit that I'm concerned about some recent developments, such as the new laws against non-governmental organizations.” CountryLawDemocracyJudgingDevelopmentConceptsConcernedOrganizationRussia Author:Angela Merkel
“In 2003, I warned of a 'creeping coup' in Russia against the forces of democracy and market capitalism in Russia.” ForceDemocracyCapitalismRussiaCoups Author:John McCain
“Democracy means the power of the people and the possibility of influencing the governing parties. Russia had had enough experience with a one-party-system - we will not go back there.” PeopleMeanEnoughPartyDemocracyInfluencePossibilityRussiaGoverningHad Enough Author:Vladimir Putin
“How long has it taken the democratic process to develop in the United States? Since it was founded. So, do you think that as regards democracy everything is settled now in America? If this were so, there would be no Ferguson issue, right? There would be no other issues of similar kind, there would be no police abuse. Our goal is to see all these issues and respond to them timely and properly. The same applies to Russia. We also have a lot of problems.” IfsThinkingKindLongStatesProblemWould BeAmericaProcessGoalUnitedUnited StatesDemocracyIssuesTakenAbusePoliceRegardDemocraticRussiaTimelyDemocratic ProcessFerguson Author:Vladimir Putin
“In the referendum - which was still decided to take place by the Crimea's old parliament - the majority of citizens voted for belonging to Russia. This is democracy, the people's will.” PeopleStillsDemocracyCitizensDecidedMajorityRussiaBelongingParliamentReferendumsCrimea Author:Vladimir Putin
“American democracy faces a massive challenge. I don't think it is a certainty that we're headed toward Putin's Russia, as some commentariat does. But people need to mobilize and build up small-d democratic institutions to prepare against that eventuality.” PeopleThinkingNeedsDoeFacesChallengesDemocracyInstitutionsDemocraticRussiaCertaintyMassivePutinAmerican Democracy Author:Jonathan Chait
“Political stability was at most a factor in assessing developing countries or Russia. It is now also an issue in Western democracies.” CountryPoliticalDemocracyIssuesWesternRussiaFactorsDevelopingStabilityDeveloping CountriesAssessing Author:Nicholas Bloom
“We have Mr. Putin in Russia. And he appears to be a popular president of Russia. And I don't think it's the business of the National Endowment for Democracy or American diplomats or American foreign policy to try to change the nature of that government.” ThinkingTryingGovernmentPresidentDemocracyPolicyRussiaForeign PolicyPutinDiplomatsEndowmentAmerican Foreign Policy Author:Pat Buchanan