Russian Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future

Internal Russian Evolution.
Russia’s military and foreign policies depend on
internal political, economic, and security stability. At
this point, the Medvedev-Putin duumvirate appears
to be in control of the situation in the country. However,
it faces mounting challenges:
• Russia failed to evolve into an open democracy-based
society. An authoritarian regime may
hold the country together for a relatively long
time, especially if it indulges in populism and
has resources to maintain a reasonably reliable
repressive apparatus, docile legislature
and mass media. However, as the Soviet and
other similar experiences demonstrate, collapse
of this type of a regime usually comes precipitously
and acquires devastating proportions.
Regime changes that took place in some former
Soviet republics serve as pertinent examples.
• The global and internal Russian economic crises
forced the government to make adjustments
to ambitious plans of expansion and growth
in many areas, including defense modernization.
Resources previously available from such
sources as exports of oil and gas and were in
part used to maintain stability, are dwindling.
The gap between the haves and the have-nots
in Russia is expanding rapidly, fueling public
discontent.
• The authorities are largely incapable of eradicating
massive corruption and criminality, as
well as the flight of capital from Russia that
could otherwise be used for development. 127
• Frenetic attempts to streamline, restructure and
improve the performance of the government
apparatus have been ineffective.
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