Professor Matthew Slaboch is an assistant professor in the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University and author of “A Road to Nowhere: The Idea of Progress and Its Critics” (University of Pennsylvania Press 2018).
In this episode, we first address whether Putin has any Russian leaders he models his leadership after. Then we talk about the assumption that there is something fundamental in Russians and post-communist citizens that makes them more sympathetic to authoritarian leaders. Prof. Slaboch establishes the difference between Russian national identity and post-communist legacies. We then briefly look at why citizens look up to leaders and whether there is something unique in Russians looking up to leaders who were oppressive to their own people. Lastly, we talk about Putin’s emergence as an antidote to Boris Yeltsin in Russia. I hope you enjoy.
