Modernization is becoming the new Russian religion. United Russia has already plastered the word on all of its banners. During its short history, United Russia has gone through many different motifs — from “managed democracy” to “sovereign democracy” to the ambitious goals enshrined in “Strategy 2020.” Now we have been introduced to the latest political motif: “conservative modernization.”
In the West, a political party is formed to unite like-minded people in an attempt to gain power or influence. In Russia, however, the party in control, United Russia, modifies itself to appease whomever is in power. But by doing so, it necessarily creates an obstacle to progress.
The “party of power” was able to monopolize the concept of modernization if for no other reason than there are no opposing political forces in the country that are allowed to offer an alternative to United Russia’s conservative modernization — whether it be a “liberal modernization” model or any other alternative conception. As always, monopolization — whether it is political or economic — leads to stagnation.
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