Are you better off than you were 23 years ago? It is a fair question to direct to the Russian public.
Here is my analysis of the question:
- POLITICAL RIGHTS: When Putin took office, Russia was a very shaky liberal democracy. Today, it is an authoritarian state, sliding into fascism. Elections are rigged; political opponents are jailed, shot, or poisoned; the media are totally subservient; and the internet is increasingly controlled by the government.
- ECONOMY: For about ten years, the economy grew briskly as a result of rising oil prices. For the last ten, growth has been very minimal, due to sanctions arising from Putin’s foreign adventures and the government’s desire to keep the economy completely in its own hands. Liberalization is impossible, because it would create potential centers of power in a political system that assumes Putin is the source of all wealth.
- FOREIGN POLICY: It is often said that Putin has played a bad hand very well. But has he? At one point, all of Ukraine was set to fall peacefully into his hands; today, most of the country (and certainly its most valuable parts) is mobilized against him. His intervention in Syria only maintained the status quo, at a terrible price. He is now morally obligated to provide military support for inept, unpopular dictators throughout the former USSR. The only place he has succeeded is in turning voters against liberal democracy in the EU and the US. Will that really benefit Russia in the long run? I have my doubts.