Russia in Global Affairs

Rational and realistic views of democracy as a system of governance that ensures greater efficiency are not yet widespread in Russian society. Russians pinned too much hope on democracy as an ideology, especially in the late 1980s-early 1990s, and idealized its attributes. No doubt those sentiments flourished under strong external influences of various kinds.

The September 11, 2001 “megaterror” act in the United States was the greatest setback of the U.S. state security bodies, and a horrible lesson for the entire world. In the age of international terrorism, the role of intelligence services and their responsibilities to citizens are rapidly increasing. State leaders must pay due attention to the importance of intelligence.