Ep. 167 The Dictatorship of Russia vs. Our U.S. Constitution

It's only existed for 31 years.  It covers roughly 1/8 of all inhabitable landmass on earth with a population of 143 million.  It has a constitution and a parliament but for 23 years, it has been ruled by one individual.  Today, we are discussing the dictatorship of the Russian Federation and its ruler, Vladimir Putin.  How did Putin come to power and consolidate his iron grip over his country following the dissolving of the Soviet Union in the 1990s?  What strides towards democratization was the Soviet Union making?  What is the status of basic civil liberties like freedom of speech, freedom to dissent and freedom to protest?  For all of these answer and many more, join our all-star student panel and our special guest, Mark Kramer, Director of the Cold War Studies Project at the Davis Center at Harvard University, as we unpack the Russian Federation.