Russia | Center for Foreign Affairs & Defense Policy

Russia

After the Soviet collapse, Russia made tentative moves toward democracy and a market economy. However, by the late 1990s, weak institutions and economic turmoil set the stage for authoritarian consolidation under Vladimir Putin. His leadership marked a shift from liberalization to centralized control, with the economy increasingly driven by cronyism and corruption. At the same time, Putin adopted a revisionist foreign policy, challenging the post-Cold War order and seeking to reassert Russia’s global influence.