http://www.carnegie.ru/ru/pubs/procontra/Vol11num3-full_text.pdf

Pro et Contra
CONTENTS AND SUMMARIES
Vol. 11, No 3 (37)

COVER STORY: NATIONAL BUILDING

The nation as a political frame
BY ALEXEI MILLER
What are the challenges and dangers facing
Russia's nation-building project? The first is the
predominance of an ethnic interpretation of the
nation among society at large, which sees processes
of assimilation as abnormal and dangerous, while
regarding territory as 'national' - and thus ethnic -
property. This interpretation has deep roots in the
Soviet past. The second is an attempt 'not to notice'
that the civic nation (Russianness in the sense of
rossiiskii) is to a very great extent based on the ethnic
nation (Russianness in the sense of russkii). The flip
side of this is the dangerous notion that the civic
nation might be entirely coincident with the ethnic
nation, and thus that rossiiskii may include nothing
more than russkii.

What is Russia? Who are the Russian
people?
BY VALERY TISHKOV
In today's circumstances, the name given to Russia's
civic nation - understood as the historical and sociocultural
aggregation of the country's residents - is
important. It is important that this aggregation be
recognized as underpinning and legitimizing the
nation-state, alongside all of the other states of the
world. Several leading experts, political scientists
and politicians believe that the state should be built
upon a 'Russian project' (in the sense of russkii), and
the nation, in turn, be called russkii. Thus, we are
essentially witnessing the resurrection of the Russia
that was almost built but in the end was interrupted by
the revolution of 1917. The author believes that such
a return to the past is impossible.

Russia between empire and nation
BY EMIL PAIN
The demand for a civic nation (a real nation, built
on popular sovereignty) is so far insubstantial. It
is of no use to the etatists who defend the empire,
nor is it needed by the separatists who seek selfsufficient,
ethnocratic states. It doesn't fit into
the doctrine of 'sovereign democracy', nor does
it serve the tactics of the liberal opposition (at
least, they seem to see little use in it). However, the
growing threat of fascism makes the formation of
a civic nation one of the most pressing challenges
of the day, a fact that will likely stimulate various
political forces to give the issue active and thorough
consideration.

Constructing identity: opportunities and limits
BY OLGA MALINOVA
The ability to ingrain a 'correct point of view'
by using the resources of the state should not be
exaggerated: political prohibitions give rise to
ambivalence, while the 'official point of view' is often
greeted with mistrust. However, the possibilities for
reaching consensus in 'alternative' public spheres
are also not great, not only because of the limitations
of available channels of communication, but also
because of the way such communication is conducted.
'Debates on the nation' are held not as a dialogue,
but as a competition for a monopoly on influence.
Proponents of one point of view attempt to prove that
they are correct, giving little heed to the need to reach
consensus with their opponents. It is unsurprising
that the main tactic employed all along the political
spectrum is exclusion. Thus, the fragmentation of
the public is determined not only by limited access
to means of mass communication, but also by the
dominant discursive strategies.

The nation: a crisis of construction and understanding
BY ALEXANDER KUSTAREV
Attempts to understand the problems surrounding
the nation are made more difficult by the
simultaneous use of the word as a synonym for the
state, the people, the republic, society and the
public, as well as for all of the ethnic aggregations
(clan, tribe, race). It would be better to abandon
the term altogether in political discourse,
along with all terms descended from it. It is toorepressive, forcing on
society and the individual
specific practices, the effectiveness and benefit of
which are doubtful (or even negative). Political
theory in general, and normative political theory in
particular, would stand only to gain if theorists were
to forsake endless definitions and redefinitions
of the nation and attempt to avoid the concept
altogether.

ARTICLES 

The illusion of modernization: the Russian bureaucracy as the 'elite'
BY LEV GUDKOV AND BORIS DUBIN
Sociological studies of the Russian elite, understood
as potentially influential social groups, have shown
that the elite do not want change, do not see the
value of change, but rather prize the status quo of the
current regime and so will resist any efforts to alter the
current state of affairs. The majority of respondents
are not inclined to 'force' processes of modernization,
as a result of which necessary reforms are delayed
indefinitely or until 'more suitable' times. Thus, the
issue of the country's modernization loses its currency
and meaning, its reality and rationality. The most
likely scenario for the near future is the maintenance
of the hierarchical social order, leaving Russia
unable to shift its political paradigm and doomed to
stagnation and slow degradation.

Why the World Isn't Flat
BY PANKAJ GHEMAWAT
The champions of globalization are describing a
world that doesn't exist. It's a fine strategy to sell
books and even describe a potential environment that
may someday exist. Because such episodes of mass
delusion tend to be relatively short-lived even when
they do achieve broad currency, one might simply be
tempted to wait this one out as well. But the stakes are
far too high for that. Governments that buy into the
flat world are likely to pay too much attention to the
"golden straitjacket" that Friedman emphasized in his
book The Lexus and the Olive Tree, which is supposed
to ensure that economics matters more and more
and politics less and less. Buying into this version
of an integrated world - or worse, using it as a basis
for policymaking - is not only unproductive. It is
dangerous.
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