Anders Aslund: The Putin question
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference after a meeting with his Armenian counterpart (not pictured) at the Kremlin in Moscow on August 10, 2016, after holding talks with Azerbaijani leader, as the two Caucasus countries remain locked in a feud over the contested Nagorny Karabakh region.
As war fever returns in Ukraine, the question of why Russian President Vladimir Putin went from would-be modernizer to aggressive autocrat is being revived. Whatever the reason – fear for his safety, a sense of historical grievance, or both – Putin’s inability to reform Russia’s economy seems certain to be his downfall.
