“It is [the] bigotry of lower expectations [to say] that Russians will always favor a strong man over democracy.” — Mark Lagon

Unsurprisingly, Freedom House’s recent 2015 Freedom in the World report has shown a decline in civil liberties in Russia. Mark Lagon,* the new president of Freedom House, spoke with IMR’s editor-in-chief Olga Khvostunova about Russia’s current political trajectory, Putin’s stakes in the Ukraine conflict, and what the West can do to empower Russian civil society organizations. …read more

Source: Institute of Modern Russia