The answer lies in a renewed focus on building institutions rather than advantaging the position of democrats within those institutions. The Benefits of an Institutional Strategy of Assistance A focus on institutional structures avoids a number of pitfalls that have plagued US democracy aid to Russia. Uncertainty about who will win an election, a vote on the floor of parliament, or a Supreme Court case is an unnerving but essential characteristic of democracy. The American founders recognized that healthy democracies cannot rely on the moral fortitude or good will of elected leaders. A web of institutions that controls the ambitions of individual leaders provides a solution to this dilemma.
Institutions safeguard democracy regardless of who wins elections.
In Russia, institutional vestiges of the Soviet past still coexist with new political structures, and national and regional-level structures offer conflicting incentives to politicians. The assessment of both current conditions and future political initiatives requires careful sorting out of confusion and contradictions across the individual institutions that comprise the state. The current situation illustrates the danger of overlooking these complexities. As fears of Putin's authoritarian personality increased, analysts' assessments of the Russian state moved from a focus on the state's weakness to a focus on its strength. Yet a strong police apparatus does not equal a strong state.