Russia is a Near Eastern Country too | Stephen Kotkin
Axess Television
257,004 views
Russia has always been difficult to pin down – at once European, Asian, and Near Eastern, yet convinced of its own distinct civilisation. In this interview, Professor Stephen Kotkin explores Russia’s unique geopolitical position, its long tradition of patrimonial rule, and the enduring tension between its aspirations and capabilities, tracing a line from the Romanovs, to the Soviet Union, and Putin’s Russia today.
Stephen Kotkin is the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the Birkelund Professor Emeritus of History and International Affairs at the former Woodrow Wilson School for International and Public Affairs, Princeton University.
The interview, conducted by historian and editor Mattias Hessérus, was recorded as part of a three-day seminar on the history of the Middle East, titled Empires of Faith.
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00:00 - Introduction to Middle East history
00:45 - Russia's position in global geography
03:27 - Russia as a European country
04:47 - Russia's precarious East Asian presence
05:43 - Patrimonialism in Russia's political culture
09:55 - Perpetual geopolitics and Russia's aspirations
14:40 - Property systems and authoritarian control
18:38 - Risk of a Russian spring
23:12 - Counterfactual: Russia's liberal potential
26:59 - Russia's subordination to China
29:22 - Insecurity of patrimonial regimes
34:04 - Poland's transformation as a model
CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATION -Early laws required representative consent, establishing Europe's pioneering tradition of limited authority and rule of law
PARLIAMENTARY CULTURE -Centuries of assemblies created ingrained reflexes for debate, negotiation, and political compromise
LOCAL SELF-GOVERNANCE - Municipal autonomy under codified law (Based on German Magdeburg laws) built practical experience in administration and civic organization
INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY- unlike Russia's centralized autocracy or Ukraine's fractured statelessness, Poland's experience of building, losing, and rebuilding state institutions- a muscle memory, that kicked in from the start in '89
Russia is a Near Eastern Country too | Stephen Kotkin
Axess Television
257,004 views
Russia has always been difficult to pin down – at once European, Asian, and Near Eastern, yet convinced of its own distinct civilisation. In this interview, Professor Stephen Kotkin explores Russia’s unique geopolitical position, its long tradition of patrimonial rule, and the enduring tension between its aspirations and capabilities, tracing a line from the Romanovs, to the Soviet Union, and Putin’s Russia today.
Stephen Kotkin is the Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the Birkelund Professor Emeritus of History and International Affairs at the former Woodrow Wilson School for International and Public Affairs, Princeton University.
The interview, conducted by historian and editor Mattias Hessérus, was recorded as part of a three-day seminar on the history of the Middle East, titled Empires of Faith.
Explore more content from Axess Television:
Axess' website: https://www.axess.se/tv/
Axess on Facebook: Facebook: axessmagasin