In this week’s media must-reads, Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov comes in the spotlight. He is profiled by Joshua Yaffa in the New Yorker and by Alexander Baunov in Foreign Affairs.And in the American Interest, Lilia Shevtsova continues her series on how the West and Russia see each other, this time focusing on the Putin doctrine.
Ramzan Kadyrov (second right) at the main stadium in Grozny where he addressed thousands of Chechen troops and pledged his support for Russia and Vladimir Putin. Photo: Yelena Afonina / TASS.
Putin’s Dragon
Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker
This profile piece by journalist Joshua Yaffa centers on Ramzan Kadyrov—the leader of the Caucasian Russian republic of Chechnya—and his Putinistic “power vertical” style of rule. Just who is Ramzan Kadyrov? He is a self-described enemy to terrorists, a devout Muslim, and a celebrity Instagram star all in one, with plausible links to a number of high-profile political assassinations in Russia. Above all, Yaffa writes, he is “an irreplaceable part of the [country’s] political system.”
More Putin Than Putin
Alexander Baunov, Foreign Affairs
In this article for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Baunov, an editor at the Carnegie Moscow Center, describes Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov as a strong supporter of Vladimir Putin with a streak of independence that has some in the Kremlin worried. Kadyrov’s forceful stance against terrorism and “the immoral West” resonates strongly with the Russian public, making it difficult for Moscow to rein him in. Baunov goes so far as to suggest that Kadyrov is “setting himself up to be an alternative to Putin” but concludes that in the end, Putin will never let this scenario come to fruition.
More Than a War of Words
Maxim Trudolyubov, New York Times
This opinion piece by Maxim Trudolyubov focuses on the socio-linguistic, historic, and political enmity between Russians and Ukrainians. Despite Russia’s ostensible commitment to the cease-fire process, hostility between these two nations and peoples seems more widespread than ever. Many commentators have speculated about whether Moscow even wants a settlement, or if it “only wants an interim one.” Against the backdrop of this underlying distrust, Ukraine is seeking to distance itself further from Russia while “framing a new civic identity.” In order for Ukrainian–Russian relations to move forward, Trudolyubov maintains, the two nations must deemphasize their “linguistic ties” and negotiate their politics with a “language of civility” in order to “forge a new understanding.”
How the West Misjudged Russia, Part 4: Mad about Medvedev
Lilia Shevtsova, American Interest
In her latest addition to a series of articles dissecting how Russia and the West view each other, Russia expert Lilia Shevtsova criticizes “pragmatists’” assertion that Russia was humiliated following the collapse of the Soviet Union—a view that she says has served as the Kremlin’s “main justification for [its] revisionist stand,” as well as for the Putin doctrine. According to Shevtsova, this doctrine has guided Russia since late 2013 and consists of the following ideas: (1) Russia is a “state-civilization” based on traditional values and personalized power; (2) Russia is the defender of Christianity; (3) Russia is the leader of independent global development; and (4) Russia is the defender of Russian-speakers around the world. Despite Russia’s reactionary political trajectory in recent years, Shevtsova ultimately rejects the notion that Russians are incapable of creating a state governed by rule of law.
Kissinger’s Vision for U.S.–Russia Relations
Henry Kissinger, National Interest
In this article, Henry Kissinger describes the current state of U.S.–Russian relations and maintains that the two countries “have entered a new Cold War.” However, despite the deterioration of relations, Kissinger asserts that Russia is an “indispensable component of the international order,” and that the United States and Russia need to return to diplomacy willingly. They must reconcile their “two perspectives —the legal and the geopolitical— in a coherent concept.”
This roundup was compiled by Daniel Frey.
