Concepts of Political Leadership in the CIS Region

Abstract

Following the collapse of the USSR, the new post-Soviet states, with the exception of the Baltic republics, established authoritarian mechanisms from the very beginning. Nondemocratic regimes in the former Soviet Union area have taken various forms in recent history, from totalitarian and consolidated authoritarian to nonconsolidated semi-authoritarian and liberal authoritarian regimes; however, some of them have managed to democratize their institutions and procedures, though the respective political leaders were not always ready for the new reality. Most of the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States were developed by communist technocrats and bureaucrats, who shaped the new national identity. The political leaders of the new independent republics derived directly from the Soviet communist “nomenklatura” system and were accustomed to the previous model of governance. The remnants of the former regime were reflected in the specific mentality, informal or formal oligarchic political connections, and the traditional organization of society based on regional and sectorial interests or family and clan ties (tribalism). Most leaders were unable to accept any possible political opposition and any areas of public life beyond political power. The identification of security with the enlargement of political influence and control over the state’s territory undermined democracy and demonstrated authoritarian tendencies.