Putin should be challenged to restore local democracy in Russia |
CHICAGO – As Hungarians celebrate their defeat of authoritarian populism and Americans mark 250 years of freedom, Russians may also look forward to an end of President Vladimir Putin’s corrupt dictatorship. But they would do well to remember that America’s Declaration of Independence, for example, was not just an idealistic proclamation of rights. It was also a practical statement about the importance of empowering local councils elected by the people.
Ever since the American and French Revolutions took such starkly different paths, democracy has been most likely to survive and flourish when it has strong roots in local politics. This message should resonate with Russians who remember their own history. After all, even Lenin recognized the value of calling his regime “Soviet,” following his false promise to empower local councils in 1918.
Of course, it was not until 1990 that the Soviet government, under Mikhail Gorbachev, allowed people to choose among candidates in competitive regional elections. But that decision proved to be transformative. The introduction of local democracy created an irresistible force for popular accountability that pushed upwards into higher levels of government, culminating in the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
Before the 1990 elections, many experts had assumed that the main effect of local democracy would be to deliver more autonomy for........