When President Ronald Reagan uttered the sound byte, "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this wall!" most Americans probably expected that the new Russia would follow humbly in the footsteps of the United States in adapting not only a free market economy but also a liberal democratic system of government. Immediately before and after Gorbachev's dismantling of the Soviet Union, Russia "made dramatic progress toward a democratic order-that is, toward real elections, protections for civil liberties, and a rule of law," (Bjorkman). The end of the Cold War signified a new era in international politics, economics, and diplomacy and the relative successes of former Communist nations in Central and Eastern Europe confirmed the American belief in the salvific powers of liberal democracy. Yet most analysts have come to the unfortunate conclusion that Russia's transition from autocratic Communist state to liberal democracy stagnated years ago. Starting with Yeltsin, Russian leaders and their cohorts have thwarted the installation of institutions and the promotion of values that typify a democratic society such as freedom of the press and due process of law. More recently, President Vladimir Putin's policies have nearly spat in the face of liberal democracy through state-controlled national media and parliamentary elections that were deemed "not free" by several external international organizations (McFaul). The Kremlin is now peopled largely by former KGB (now Federal Security Service, or FSB) officials, leading to what has become essentially an oligarchy. The United States and perhaps even more so the nations of Western Europe play a key role in assisting the support of democratic institutions in Russia that would benefit the Russian citizenry and the Russian economy and help stabilize the entire Eurasian region.
             According to McFaul, a successful transition into democracy is the "most important issue in US-Russian relations today," especially given th...