Russia’s ruling elite are dazzled by China’s success. China, which will have 8 percent growth in 2009, has quickly become the third-largest economy in the world. Moscow finds not only the economic success of its eastern neighbor increasingly attractive, but its political system as well.
In October, United Russia held a two-day seminar with their comrades from the Communist Party of China — a master class of sorts to allow Moscow to glean information and know-how from Beijing’s authoritarian political and economic model. Even while Moscow continues its rhetoric about its adherence to democracy and a European course, Russia’s leaders are actually looking more toward the East to find political legitimacy and arguments to justify their seemingly endless autocratic hold on power. They believe that China’s “authoritarian modernization” is an excellent model for Russia. Beijing has accomplished modernization from the top down, while giving its citizens very few democratic rights and freedoms. Kremlin ideologues and propagandists are increasingly heard saying, “China is developing successfully without any democracy whatsoever, so why can’t we?”
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