Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to locals and relatives of the victims of a fire in a multistory shopping center in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, Russia, on Tuesday. But the protests at the local level highlight weak spots in Putin’s recentralized regime. Vlast that most people encounter is local.” Provincial authorities in Russia, though, are increasingly alienated from the populates they govern. The government’s reaction to a tragic fire — and subsequent protests — in Kemerovo has exposed cracks at the local level. With local authorities increasingly out of touch with their constituencies, Putin’s Russia will rely more and more on “System 2” to stay afloat.

Source: Washington Post March 29, 2018 10:08 UTC