This hearing, held on the eve of President Clinton’s first summit meeting with Russia’s recently elected President, Vladimir Putin, provided a timely opportunity to assess bilateral relations between the United States and the Russian Federation, as well as domestic developments. Russia has multi-candidate presidential elections, with viable candidates, unlike the Central Asian states where presidents do not tolerate serious challengers. Nevertheless, this hearing examined how reliable are multi-candidate elections as a gauge of democratic development when the media is intimidated by government pressure and raids.
Members
Hon. Christopher Smith
Chairman
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hon. Ben Nighthorse Campbell
Co-Chairman
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Hon. Tom Lantos
Member of Congress
House of Representatives
Witnesses
Lt. General William Odom
Director
National Security Studies, Hudson Institute
Igor Malashenko
First Deputy Chairman
Media-MOST, Moscow
Dr. Georgi Derlugian
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Northwestern University
Sarah Mendelson
Assistant Professor of International Politics
Fletcher School of Law, Tufts University
Rachel Denber
Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia
Human Rights Watch
Relevant Issues
Relevant Countries
Leadership
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