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VO Comparative Politics - Enhanced Level

Students acquire the ability to illustrate and explain the structure and function profiles of different democratic governmental systems. Moreover, they are able to individually analyse and evaluate complex phenomena from the field of comparative government based on relevant theoretical-conceptual approaches.

The lecture will addrees the main pillars of Putin's hegemonial role in Russia. It will then debate the stability-instability-Dilemma of Russian politics, the perseverance and cohesion of it's ruling elite cartell and the challenges of anti-regime action by the opposition. Furthermore Russia's mid-term economic and military developments will be discussed. Finally, the core challenges to Russian foreign and security policy will analyzed - focussing on it's relations with the EU, the USA and the Asia-Pacific region.

Lecture, assessment is based on a single examination at the end of the course.

Course examination according to § 7, statute section on "study-law regulations"

Obligatory Reading: Sakwa, Richard (2010). The Crisis of Russian Democracy: The Dual State, Factionalism and the Medvedev Succession. Cambridge University Press. Erler, Gernot; Schulze Peter W. (Hrsg.) (2012). Die Europäisierung Russlands: Moskau zwischen Modernisierungspartnerschaft und Großmachtrolle. Campus Philip Hanson; James Nixey; Lilia Shevtsova; Andrew Wood (2012). Putin Again. Implications for Russia and the West. Chatham House Report.

successful completion of compulsory modules 1, 2 , 3 and 7