Since President Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia in 1999, the country's domestic political process has undergone continuous change; it remains unclear if Russia is on the road toward democracy, diverting from this path, or heading in the opposite direction.To address urgent questions about Russia's post-Soviet democratization process, Elusive Russia brings together the views of four leading experts on Russian state identity and institutional reform to share their original approaches to some key components of today's Russian politics.
Katlijn Malfliet is Professor and Director of the Institute for International and European Policy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. She teaches courses on the political, social and legal transition process in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ria Laenen is a research fellow at the Institute for International and European Policy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.