Commentary & Analysis

STROIKA led a panel on "The Authoritarian Playbook: Parallels & Lessons from Russia’s March to Authoritarianism" at the 22nd Century Initiative's conference in Minneapolis, MN. The Forging a People-Powered Democracy Conference convened pro-democracy movements and community leaders to develop strategies for blocking the rise of the authoritarian right.

A dissident lawmaker is expelled by the legislature’s majority for supporting a popular protest movement. The lawmaker argues that the move was politically motivated following his participation in a protest. Outside experts call the expulsion a dangerous sign of increasing authoritarianism.

February 24th, 2022, will forever be remembered as the day Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One day later, by sheer coincidence, STROIKA’s formal registration was finalized. We came into existence on the eve of enormous destruction. As an organization whose mission is to build (‘stroika’ means ‘construction site’ in Russian), we realized that we were made for this moment.

Vladimir Putin is currently fighting on two fronts: his brutal military assault on Ukraine is accompanied by relentless repression against any hint of opposition inside Russia itself.

Even though this year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to two investigative journalists working in two different authoritarian contexts, autocrats are becoming bolder and more brash in their crackdown on independent media.

There is much debate about a new “cold war” between Russia and the U.S., but one tactic illiberal politicians on both sides of the Atlantic agree on is embracing “traditional values” to cover up their own failings. Far-right demagogues from Moscow to Texas increasingly incite moral panic to stir up tensions and deflect from domestic troubles.