Brown Bag Talk
Valerie Bunce
Putin and the Rise of an Authoritarian Russia
Abstract: How do popularly-elected political leaders dismantle democracy, build authoritarianism and stay in power? Vladimir Putin’s actions at home and abroad since 2000 provide some answers to these questions for the Russian case. They also help us understand recent developments in other democracies under siege, such as Venezuela, Turkey, Hungary, Poland and the Philippines. They might even have something to say about the United States and Donald Trump.
Bio: Valerie Bunce is Professor of Government and the Aaron Binenkorb Chair of International Studies at Cornell University. She is the co-author, most recently, of Defeating Authoritarian Rulers in Postcommunist Countries (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Further information: http://government.cornell.edu/valerie-jane-bunce