The American researchers in “Noravank”
One of these days “Noravank” Foundation hosted the lecturer of the US University after George Washington, research worker of European, Russian and Eurasian Research Institute, doctor of political science Henry Hale, the professors of Chicago’s Northwest University Georgi Derlugyan and William Reno.
The repot of the seminar’s main speaker Henry Hale was devoted to the problem of periodicity of handing over presidential power in CIS countries. The reporter put the main stress on the examples of Georgia, Ukraine and somehow Kyrgyz Republic, which have undergone “color revolutions”.
In this sense, according to H. Hale, political processes in the countries mentioned above are more likely to be called revolts, then revolutions, in realization of which arrangements between the president and the elite play decisive role. In Post Soviet countries elite bring to power or dethrones the president.
In each country elite have different geopolitical orientation, political and economic interests as well as certain character (economic, clan, oligarchic, bureaucratic etc.). From this standpoint each group representing elite wants to have a candidate advantageous for it. In its turn, after taking the power, the president tries to create monolith elite aspiring to get rid of powers he depended on before coming to power.
During “color revolutions” masses rely on elite thinking in another way and led by democratic principles. Victory or failure of change of authorities in many cases depends on certain amplitude cycles for the president (which is characteristic to Post Soviet countries) as well as charisma he has in the society.
Without underestimating the role of foreign factor on change of authorities, the speaker also attached importance to the internal factor. Revolts will not exist if the society doesn’t turn to it. He characterized presidential authority of CIS countries as “patriarchal”, and Ukraine wanted to overcome it.
The seminar, which is important from the standpoint of getting acquainted with the standpoints of western researchers, was held in the atmosphere of active discussions and disputes.
