“Who’s the Boss?”
Journal: Oxford University Press eBooks
Year: 2025

Abstract Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first term of office began promisingly. He was a serious individual, in contrast to his buffoonish predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. He surrounded himself with respected, Western-minded reformers. In the early days, he was welcomed warmly in international political circles. The political system he created in Russia, however, inverted democratic norms. The Russian state also began to take a dominant role in the economy. The development of a middle class faile