'Five Years of President Putin: An Assessment' - Foreign Policy Centre

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Justice in the Legal Reforms? Top Dr. Vadim Malkin The views on Russia’s rule of law and judiciary are both wrong and right. Legal reforms faced great challenges to change from the Soviet style to the market economy. During the Communist era, criminal courts convicted 99 per cent of those tried. Only after 1991 did they start to become more independent. Civil courts also faced a big challenge to change and corruption was rife since wages were so low. Instead of a system of law within the judiciary, there was a system of bribes. With that branch of government so weak, Putin has managed to consolidate power over it during his time in office. Paul Melling Great strides have been made in the last sixteen years in Russia, but do people realise that change has taken place? Is there now a rule of law in Russia? This depends on whether or not you are on the ‘radar screen’ of the Kremlin. If you are large, rich and important enough to be noticed by the bureaucracy, such as BP, you find it much more difficult to do business. The problem here is the lack of an idea of ‘conflict of interest’. The atmosphere is such that it would be almost scandalous if you did not abuse you own position for personal gain. The paradox is that if corruption did not exist, nothing would ever get done in Russia. Putin’s tax reforms have brought a greater respect for the rule of law. The flat tax of 13 per cent has made Russia a tax haven, shifting the economy from black to white. Before the change, 80 per cent of business was run on the black market. Since then, only 20 per cent remains undeclared. Changes to the Russian commercial court system have made domestic litigation the fastest growing business for Western firms in Russia. Unfortunately, if you are caught on the ‘radar screen’ then all the problems with the rule of law come to the fore: your chances are less than good if you litigate against the Russian government. The only thing that can be said of the whole system is that it is always over remarkably quickly. Top Top 6
Putin’s Foreign Policy Goals and Relations with Europe Top Dr. Thomas Gomart Last year can be seen as a turning point for Russian foreign policy. With EU enlargement and the Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, the relationship between Russia and Europe has changed. Crisis and misunderstanding has put Putin on the defensive. The results of Beslan, the Ukraine, Moldova and Chechnya have created a negative image abroad. Putin therefore wants to correct this perception while limiting changes. He knows that Europe is the future, yet appears ambivalent to Brussels. True to Russian tradition, they will continue to build diplomatic relations on a bilateral basis. It remains more comfortable for Russian diplomats to avoid Brussels and the new member states. In this way it can create a balance of power where Russia can speak as an equal, but an equal of one country to twenty-five. Dr. Gabor Beszterczey Russia’s foreign policy can be considered as its weakest link. With Russia’s concentration of power has come increased isolationism. Yet Russia still has a dialogue with its counterparts in Europe. Some in the Kremlin see an EU ‘encirclement’, which could explain why EU-Russia relations do not exist: diplomatic exchanges are always done on bi- or tri-lateral bases. When it comes to relations with Russia, influence on a state level is inefficient. With relations with Europe at a low ebb, the EU should work with the US. However, those on the continent are working on their own means to avoid Russian isolation. Chirac’s conception of a multipolar world has facilitated relationships between Paris and Moscow; Moscow and Paris already have agreements on security, involving strategy, defence and nuclear policies. A commercial relationship has also been fostered. Berlin and Madrid are following suit, but disagreements have arisen on how best to avoid isolationism. Both sides must make efforts to clarify their positions, but it must be recognised that Eastern Europe cannot form a bridge. Europe is rather intrusive compared to the US and EU enlargement is seen by some as a threat. Yet Russia still suffers from an ideological hangover from the Soviet era. Putin still plays by the old rules but is favourable compared to Yeltsin’s dual nature foreign policy. Putin has a problem with the West, so in the end relations with Europe will probably deteriorate. Top Top 7
Page 1 and 2: The European Think Tank with a Glob
Page 3 and 4: Who Pulls the Strings in the Putin
Page 5: To counter this, the last five year
Page 9 and 10: Dr. Vadim Malkin was appointed Dire

'Five Years of President Putin: An Assessment' - Foreign Policy Centre

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