EastWest Institute
Russian Regional Report
Vol. 4, No. 36, 29 September 1999
Russian Cohesion Index: -30 (down 5 this week)
Disintegration.........T.....L............0..............Democratic Federalism
(T = this week; L = last week; 0 = 17 March)
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For a graphic display of the Russian Cohesion Index since 17 March, see:
http://www.iews.org/RRRabout.nsf/pages/Russian+Cohesion+Index
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----- Russia's bombing campaign against Chechnya has caused thousands of Chechen refugees to flee to Ingushetiya and North Osetiya. These republics are completely unprepared to handle the influx of refugees, creating a humanitarian disaster. Other regions in the North Caucasus, such as Rostov Oblast, are trying to limit the number of migrants from the Caucasus. The federal government has yet to find an effective way to deal with the multiple problems plaguing the North Caucasus, inviting further conflict and ethnic tension. (-2)
----- The recent armed removal of Dmitrii Savelev as general director of Transneft, the armed seizure of documents from a bank in Nizhnii Novgorod, and the installation of policemen to oversee a disputed archive in Omsk are examples of the ever-popular trend of the political authorities using the police to suit their personal interests. Although this tactic is not new, its increasing prevalence is a dangerous impediment to the development of democratic governance. (-2)
+++++ The Rostselmash Combine Factory, which has been suffering financially since it lost access to state funds with Primakov's dismissal, is undergoing an ambitious restructuring program that should make the enterprise profitable. Without the security of state subsidies, the industrial giant has been forced to become more fiscally responsible and could serve as an example for other loss-making Soviet-age enterprises trying to adjust to the market system. (+1)
----- In what local observers suspect was a political deal, a Voronezh court acquitted two of three aides to Voronezh Governor Ivan Shabunin of corruption charges that were filed last year. Such apparent manipulation of the legal system by political bosses weakens the already fragile rule of law. (-1)
----- Beyond the dispute over army recruits, Tatarstan is wrangling with Moscow over the alphabet it uses to write the Tatar language and whether local legislators have legal immunity. Such challenges could further erode Russia's federal system. (-1)