Refederalizing Russia: Debates on the Idea of Federalism in Russia

Abstract

Russia has been struggling to come to terms with the ethno-federal structure it inherited from the USSR. Central and regional political actors have sought to restructure federal relations in a way that marks a break from the pseudo-federalism of the past, and both the 1992 Federation Treaty and the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation declared the establishment of a “federal democracy” This article investigates the process of refederalization by examining debates over the idea of federalism in Russia. Despite an initial wide-ranging discussion, federalism is increasingly seen in strategic terms by political elites. The federal system is asymmetrical and bureaucratic, and it is based on a series of treaties between the center and constituent units, rather than on an effective constitution that binds the center and regions together.