PSC2366 Hale
Spring 2011
PSC 2366-10-16545 Government and Politics of Russia
Mondays and Wednesdays 2:20-3:35pm in Funger 207
Instructor: Henry E. Hale
Office hrs: Tu 2:00-3:30 (or by appointment) in 1957 E St., Suite 412J; Tel: 994-4810; hhale@gwu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Charles Sullivan
Office hrs: Thu 9:30-11:30 in 1957 E St., suite 412; Tel: TBA; charlesjsullivan2@yahoo.com
With thousands of nuclear warheads, some of the world’s largest oil and natural gas reserves, territory
spanning 1/7 of the globe’s land mass, 150 million people, and a UN Security Council veto, Russia is
surely one of the states in which developments could most directly affect the lives and liberties of
Americans and citizens of other countries. In this course, students will examine the driving forces behind
Russian politics, focusing in particular on understanding how Russia’s political system really works and
how its experience relates to that of other countries facing similar problems. Students will have the
chance to learn about Russian politics through not only lectures and readings, but also relevant films, inclass discussion, and role-playing exercises. They will read the works of leading experts (both Russian
and non-Russian), colorful autobiographical material, and satire.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By completing this course, students will (1) know important information about Russia’s political system;
(2) know the points of view of leading Russian and Western analysts of Russian politics; (3) analyze this
information and these viewpoints; (4) apply their knowledge and analysis to key questions of Russian
politics in different settings; and (5) discuss Russian politics intelligently, actively, and creatively.
GRADING SYSTEM
20% Midterm Exam.
30% Final Exam (comprehensive, covering the entire course).
20% Classroom Participation. Each student is required to participate in five in-class Exercises. These
Exercises are designed to cap the course’s five main thematic parts and are scheduled at the end of each
part. The professor, taking into account preferences as best possible, will assign each student to play a
“lead” role in one of the Exercises and a “participant” role in the rest. Students playing lead roles will be
assigned to write 1500-word research papers (about 5 pages) on assigned topics related to the roles the
students will play. The papers are due at the start of class on the day of the relevant Exercise. The
remaining students for each Exercise will be assigned particular “participant” roles and will be required to
write a one-page “Reaction Memo” that assesses the Exercise and interprets it using previously assigned
readings according to instructions given by the professor prior to the Exercise. The quality of the
student’s participation in the in-class part of the Exercise (separately from the writing), both as audience
member and lead-role player, will count for a total of 15% of the student’s total grade. Another 5% of the
course grade will be based on attendance and participation in other in-class activities.
30% Writing Projects. Each student will write one 1500-word paper (20% of the overall course grade)
and four one-page Reaction Memos (each worth 2.5% of the course grade) as described above.
CLASS POLICIES
 Grading Policy: “B+” refers to work that fulfills all the requirements of a given assignment and does
so well. Grades of A- and A are reserved for truly outstanding work, for which all students will be
encouraged to strive. Grades of B or lower indicate that the assignment has not been adequately
performed to the full extent expected, although a straight B indicates that the work still has significant
merit whereas a D should serve as a strong warning to the student to seek help.
 Absences will result in “zero” grades for participation and any activity that day. To be excused from
attendance of a given class, a student must notify the professor with an acceptable excuse prior to the
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Spring 2011
start of that day’s class unless, in the professor’s judgment, advance notification was impossible. For
religious holidays, as per university policy, students must notify the instructor during the first week of
the semester of any class session that will be missed. If a student is to miss an examination or in-class
exercise for any reason other than religious observance, such as illness, documentation (e.g., from a
doctor) must be provided in order to avoid getting a zero grade for that day’s activities.
Students are responsible for keeping track of any announcements, including possible changes in the
syllabus, made in class or on Blackboard by the instructor or teaching assistant.
Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should
contact me privately in the first week of the semester to discuss specific needs. Please also contact the
Disability Support Services office at (202) 994-8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite 242, to establish
eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information please refer to:
http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/.
The university will schedule a final exam for May 2-10. You should thus plan to be here for that
entire period and a couple days after that just to be sure--no early taking of the exam will be allowed.
Academic integrity: This class abides by the GW Code of Academic Integrity, which states that
“Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work,
taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and
the fabrication of information.” The rest of the code is at: http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html.
The University Counseling Center (UCC) offers assistance at all hours every day to address students’
personal, social, career, and study skills problems. This includes crisis and emergency mental health
consultation as well as confidential assessment, counseling services (individual and small group), and
referrals. See: http://gwired.gwu.edu/counsel/CounselingServices/AcademicSupportServices.
Security: In case of emergency, if at all possible, the class should shelter in place. If the building that
the class is in is affected, follow the evacuation procedures for the building. After evacuation, seek
shelter at a predetermined rendezvous location.
Writing assistance can be obtained through (1) The University Writing Center, on the first floor of
Gelman Library, room 103, available to help students one-on-one with their writing; or (2) The
Language Center, 211 Philips Hall, which can help non-native speakers of English.
Students should consult the Gelman Library Contemporary Russian Politics Resource Page
(http://libguides.gwu.edu/aecontent.php?pid=153618 ) when doing research for their papers. See also
the “Guide to Further Reading” on pp.283-9 in the assigned textbook DRP7.
READINGS
Students are expected to have read the readings listed for each lecture before class on the day of that
lecture. Lectures will not simply repeat readings, but will assume knowledge of the reading material, so
understanding lectures will depend on doing readings on schedule. In-class activities will also often
require familiarity with the readings. To help you budget your time, estimates of the number of pages for
each reading are given in brackets (for example, for the 8th session, Feb. 2, the Treisman reading is 39
pages long). How to view the films will be announced in class or on Blackboard. All readings will be
available through Blackboard or through direct links provided by the instructor except for the following
books, available for purchase at the GW Bookstore and on reserve at Gelman Library:
 Treisman: Daniel Treisman, The Return: Russia’s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev (New
York: Free Press, 2011).
 Putin: Vladimir Putin, First Person (NY: PublicAffairs, 2000).
 DRP7: Stephen White, Richard Sakwa, & Henry Hale, eds., Developments in Russian Politics 7
(Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010).
Please note that PONARS Eurasia Policy Memos and PONARS Policy Memos can be accessed at:
http://ponarseurasia.org/blog/ (Tip: if you can’t find it, type the memo number in the search engine there).
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CLASS SCHEDULE
1. Mon 1/10 - Introduction
PART I: HISTORICAL LEGACIES SHAPING RUSSIAN POLITICS TODAY
2. Wed 1/12 - Deep Influences on Russian Politics
 Richard Sakwa, “Politics in Russia,” Chapter 1 in DRP7. [19]
3. Mon 1/17 - MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY - No Class
4. Wed 1/19 - The Soviet Experience
 Geoffrey Ponton, “Stalinism: The Regime Bloodily Consolidated,” Chapter 2 in The Soviet Era
(Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1994), pp.35-48. [14]
 Ronald Grigor Suny, The Soviet Experiment (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998): pp.387-93,
399-411, 418-23, 435-42, 449-51. [37]
 Putin, pp.3-63. [60]
 The Onion, “Pretentious, Goateed Coffeehouse Types Seize Power in Russia”; “Bolsheviks
Divide Tundra Wasteland Equally”; “Lenin Dead From Massive ‘Stroke of the People’”; “Stalin
Announces Five-Year ‘Everybody Dies’ Plan”; “Soviets Mourn Loss of Stalin”; “Dynamic New
Soviet Leader Not on Brink of Death.” [5]
5. Mon 1/24 - The Disintegration of the USSR
 Treisman, Chapter 1. [40]
 Putin, pp.65-122. [58]
6. Wed 1/26 - The Past in Current Russian Politics
 Stephen White, “Soviet Nostalgia and Russian Politics” Journal of Eurasian Studies, v.1,

no.1, 2010, pp.1-9. [9]
Henry E. Hale, “The Logic of Clientelism: A Stylized Interpretation of Eurasian History,” chapter
from draft book manuscript. [36]
7. Mon 1/31 - EXERCISE 1
 Group 1 papers due by beginning of class.
PART II: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY
8. Wed 2/2 - Marketization
 Reaction Memos due by beginning of class from all students not in Group 1.
 Heinz Kohler, “Stalin’s Economic System,” in Comparative Economic Systems (Glenview, IL:
Scott, Foresman and Co., 1989), pp.136-55. [20]
 Treisman, Chapter 2. [39]
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Spring 2011
9. Mon 2/7 - Rise of the Oligarchs
 Jagdish Bhagwati, “Shock Treatments,” The New Republic, March 28, 1994, pp.39-43. [5]
 Jeffrey Sachs, response to Bhagwati, and Bhagwati’s rejoinder. The New Republic, April 25,
1994, pp.4-5. [2]
 Dmitri Glinski-Vassiliev and Peter Reddaway, “The Ravages of Market Bolshevism,” Journal of
Democracy, v.10, no.2, April 1999. [15]
 Treisman, Chapter 6. [43]
 Vladimir Popov, “Russia’s Mortality Crisis: Will We Ever Learn?” PONARS Eurasia Policy
Memo No. 127, October 2010, http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_127.pdf . [4]
10. Wed 2/9 - Taming the Oligarchs
 Treisman, Chapter 3. [43]
11. Mon 2/14 - Putinomics
 View the following film prior to class: Tycoon: A New Russian (in Russian: Oligarkh), 2002,
directed by Pavel Lungin.
 Philip Hanson, “Managing the Economy,” Chapter 11 in DRP7. [19]
12. Wed 2/16 - EXERCISE 2
 Group 2 papers due by beginning of class.
13. Mon 2/21 - PRESIDENTS’ DAY - No Class
PART III: REGIONAL POLITICAL MACHINES
14. Wed 2/23 - The Soviet Legacy of Regional and Ethnic Politics
 Reaction Memos due by beginning of class from all students not in Group 2.
 Yuri Slezkine, “How a Socialist State Promoted Ethnic Particularism,” Slavic Review, v.53, no.2,
Summer 1994, pp.414-452. [39]
 Dmitry Gorenburg, “Regional Separatism in Russia: Ethnic Mobilization or Power Grab?”
Europe-Asia Studies, v.51, no.2, 1999, pp.245-74. [30]
15. Mon 2/28 - The Chechen Wars
 Treisman, Chapter 8. [48]
 Theodore Gerber and Sarah Mendelson, “How Russians Think About Chechnya,” PONARS
Policy Memo no.243, January 2002. [8]
 Putin, pp.165-74. [10]
16. Wed 3/2 - The Rise of Regional Political Machines
 Kathryn Stoner-Weiss, “Central Weakness and Provincial Autonomy: Observations on the
Devolution Process in Russia,” Post-Soviet Affairs, v.15, no.1, January 1999, pp.87-106. [20]
 Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, “What Explains Corruption Perceptions? The Dark Side of Political
Competition in Russia's Regions,” Comparative Politics, v.42, no.2, January 2010, pp.147-66.
[20]
17. Mon 3/7 - Midterm Review Session
* This session will consist primarily of a question-and-answer session and discussion based on
questions or topics students bring up, so be sure to bring questions or topics to discuss.*
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Spring 2011
18. Wed 3/9 - MIDTERM EXAM
SPRING BREAK 3/14 and 3/16
19. Mon 3/21 - Challenges in the North Caucasus
 Guest Lecturer: Tom de Waal, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
 View the following film prior to class: Prisoner of the Mountains (in Russian: Kavkazskii
plennik), 1996, directed by Sergey Bodrov.
 Georgi Derlugian, “Che Guevaras in Turbans: The Twisted Lineage of Islamic Fundamentalism
in Chechnya and Dagestan,” Working Paper No.16 in the Program on New Approaches to
Russian Security series (Washington, DC: CSIS, October 1999). [16]
 Sufian Zhemukhov, “Why Young People Turn to Islam in the North Caucasus,” PONARS
Eurasia Policy Memo No. 30, http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_078.pdf. [4]
 Pavel K. Baev, “The Terrorism-Corruption Nexus in the North Caucasus,” PONARS Eurasia
Policy Memo No. 114, October 2010, http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_078.pdf.
[5]
 Sufian Zhemukhov, “The Circassian Dimension of the 2014 Sochi Olympics,” PONARS Eurasia
Policy Memo no. 65, http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_065.pdf. [5]
20. Wed 3/23 - How Putin Tamed the Regional Bosses
 Guest Lecturer: Robert Orttung, Research Assoc. Professor & Asst. Director of IERES, GW
 Cameron Ross, “Reforming the Federation,” Chapter 9 in DRP7. [19]
 Darrell Slider, “Politics in the Regions,” Chapter 10 in DRP7. [17]
 Kimberly Marten, “Russia, Chechnya, and the Sovereign Kadyrov,” PONARS Eurasia Policy
Memo no. 116, October 2010, http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_116.pdf. [5]
21. Mon 3/28 - EXERCISE 3
 Group 3 papers due by beginning of class.
PART IV: FROM “COMPETING-PYRAMID” TO “SINGLE-PYRAMID” SYSTEM
22. Wed 3/30 - From Competing-Pyramid to Single-Pyramid System under Yeltsin
 Reaction Memos due by beginning of class from all students not in Group 3.
 View the following film prior to class: Spinning Boris, 2003, directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
 Andrew Wilson, Virtual Politics: Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World (New Haven:
Yale University Press, 2005) pp.89-102, 107-18. [24]
23. Mon 4/4 - Putin’s Consolidation of the Single-Pyramid System
 View the following CBC documentary film prior to class: The Putin System, 2007, directed by
Jean-Michel Carré and Jill Emery. Online at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6580938720868203336 .
 Putin, pp.182-88, 200-7. [15]
 Treisman, Chapter 4. [40]
 Nikolai Petrov, “The Full Cycle of Political Evolution in Russia: From Chaotic to Overmanaged
Democracy,” PONARS Policy Memo no. 413, December 2006. [5]
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Spring 2011
24. Wed 4/6 - The Two-Tipped Power Pyramid: Putin and Medvedev
 John P. Willerton, “Semi-Presidentialism and the Evolving Executive,” Chapter 2 in DRP7. [23]
 Treisman, Chapter 7. [22]
25. Mon 4/11 - EXERCISE 4
 Group 4 papers due by beginning of class.
PART V: THE EXERCISE OF POWER
26. Wed 4/13 - Siloviki and Power
 Reaction Memos due by beginning of class from all students not in Group 4.
 Guest Lecturer (Invited but not confirmed: Michael McFaul, U.S. National Security Council)
 Ol’ga Kryshtanovskaya and Stephen White, “The Sovietization of Russian Politics,” Post-Soviet
Affairs, v.25, no.4, October-December 2009, pp.283-309. [27]
 Jennifer G. Mathers, “The Military, Security, and Politics,” Chapter 14 in DRP7. [18]
27. Mon 4/18 - Media and Civil Society
 Alfred B. Evans, Jr., “Russian Society and the State,” Chapter 6 in DRP7. [19]
 Sarah Oates and Gilliam McCormack, “The Media and Political Communication,” Chapter 7 in
DRP7. [17]
 Gordon B. Smith, “Legal Reform and the Dilemma of Rule of Law,” Chapter 8 in DRP7. [17]
 Debra Javeline and Sarah Lindemann-Komarova, “How We Assess Civil Society Developments:
The Russia Example,” PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 34, August 2008,
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/pepm_034.pdf . [6]
28. Wed 4/20 - Parties, Protest, and Opposition
 Michael McFaul and Kathryn Stoner-Weiss, “Elections and Voters,” Chapter 4 in DRP7. [19]
 Henry E. Hale, “Russia’s Political Parties and their Substitutes,” Chapter 5 in DRP7. [18]
29. Mon 4/25 - The 2011-12 Election Cycle and Russia’s Future
 Timothy J. Colton, “Leadership and the Politics of Modernization,” in Piotr Dutkiewicz and
Dmitry Trenin, eds., Russia: Challenges of Transformation (New York: NYU Press, forthcoming
2011). [20]
 Treisman, Chapter 10. [50]
30. Wed 4/27 - EXERCISE 5
 Group 5 papers due by beginning of class.
 Reaction Memos due by Friday (April 29) at 5pm from all students not in Group 5. The
Memos should be emailed in Word format to the teaching assistant.
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