The Anti-Oligarchy Campaign and its Implications for Russia's Security

摘要

The author examines the cross forces at play inside Russia between the government and the oligarchs. Why the crackdown on the oligarchy? Various prevailing theories are offered. Among them, perhaps this crackdown was a tactical campaign decision with "guaranteed voter appeal calculated to ensure a first-round victory for Putin." Or perhaps Khodorkovsky broke a tacit pact reached in 2000 with Putin, in which the oligarchs promised to stay out of politics and Putin agreed not to challenge the source of their wealth. The author notes that, "... businessmen are one of the few forces capable of resisting the onset of a new authoritarianism."