Russia in 2020 by Nikolay Petrov

Russia in 2020 by Nikolay Petrov

As Vladimir Putin prepares to return to the presidency in the 2012 elections, the prospects for Russia's future are unclear. Russia in 2020 brings together leading experts to analyze the possible scenarios for Russia's development in the next decade and the risks that lie ahead.

Despite Putin's eminent return, the authors believe that the so-called Putin Era is over. This does not mean that Putin will soon give up power, but the political and economic system he created is incapable of dealing with Russia's rapidly changing conditions. Crises are likely unavoidable unless Russia changes and modernizes.

Michael McFaul is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, the Peter and Helen Bing senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, and an associate professor of political science at Stanford University. A prolific author, he is one of the world's leading specialists on democracy development in the former Soviet states. Nikolay Petrov is a scholar-in-residence and chairs the Carnegie Moscow Center's Society and Regions Program.He is also a senior research associate with the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Andrei Ryabov is cochair of the Russian Domestic Politics and Political Institutions Program at the Carnegie Moscow Center.