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Khenkin Sergey

Main Page ~ Authors ~ Khenkin Sergey

  • ¹ 2, 2020

    • Spanish Party and Political System: Time for a Test Montabes J., Mart nez A. (eds.) Gobierno y pol tica en Espa a. Valencia: Tirant lo Blanch, 2019

      The collective monograph reviewed by S.Khenkin explores the problems of the functioning of modern Spanish polity. The authors focus on the specifics of the Spanish transition to democracy and its main actors, the role of different branches of government and the relations between them under the conditions of the consolidated democracy, party and electoral systems, political participation and political culture, the influence of the media and interest groups. The monograph shows that the democratic transition of the second half of the 1970s — the first half of the 1980s, laying the foundations of the modern Spanish statehood and setting the current rules of the game, led to conflicting results. The achievements include overcoming a long-standing split in society and building a consensus that allowed the country to avoid a recurrence of the horrors of the civil war. A modern system of representative democracy characterized by separation of powers and broad rights and freedoms for the population has been developed. Spain joined the EU, overcoming centuries of isolation. At the same time, the transition led to a number of problems that negatively affected the quality of democracy, in particular, the caudillist nature of parties, the serious flaws in the electoral system, the low level of political participation and trust in institutions. The recent years have also witnessed another flaw — a crisis of controllability, caused by the transformation of bipartism into a real multipartism accompanied by the fragmentation and polarization of the party system and increased electoral volatility. The problem of the political and territorial structure of the state has not been solved, as evidenced by the rise of separatism in Catalonia.

      According to the reviewer, the monograph under consideration is of high scientific and political interest. It does not only highlight the diverse challenges faced by modern Spain but also allows a deeper understanding of the problems that are faced by the countries that have embarked on the path of modernization and democratization.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2020-97-2-182-191

      Pages: 182-191

  • ¹ 4, 2011

    • ETA: Rise and Crisis of Nationalist Terrorism in Spain

      The article sheds light on the activity of ETA – one of the oldest radical nationalist terrorist organizations in the Western Europe. The author elaborates on the sources of Basque radical nationalism and reasons for ETA formation, its ideological-political attitudes, strategy and tactics, main stages of its activity. The main focus is on unraveling psychology of terrorism. The article indicates that ETA entered the second decade of the 21st century at its weakest state ever. The author concludes that regardless of the future destiny of this organization, the rough confrontation between the Spanish central power and radical Basque nationalists will remain, but from now on it will be developing within the constitutional-legal framework.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2011-63-4-155-171

  • ¹ 4, 2000

    • Monarchy and Democracy: Spanish Way to Succession

      Losing the strong foundations of statehood, and coming through the fratricidal civil war, General Franco’s dictatorship, the split of the nation Spain managed to come to the national reconciliation and to restore an original state and legal system and to transform it in the spirit of the time. Monarchy in the person of Juan Carlos I made an important contribution to the restoration of the order of things. In Russian social perception, monarchy has been often associated with the authoritarian tradition social conservatism and regress since the soviet time. Spanish experience proves that this approach is one-sided, and that monarchy can be a flexible and ideologically neutral form of power. At the same time the Spanish are taken by the king as a person, and not by the monarchy as an institution.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2000-18-4-134-159

      Pages: 134-159

  • ¹ 1, 2000

    • Presidential Elections of 2000 and Paradigms of Russian Development («Round Table» March 20, 2000)

      Proclaiming formally in 1990s the renunciation to the soviet model of state and the socialist values, the beginning of democratization, the ruling elites did not formulate the meaning of this process. The actual regime had no responses to the most of that challenges. The country wasn't stable in the political aspect. The legitimacy of this regime is very uncertain. It is still difficult to define what legal tradition the present regime inherited and whether it proceeded from the Russian empire, or the Soviet Union or the state formed in 1991. Russia didn't react to the challenges of the modernization and of the multipolar world. The actual key tasks should be the purposes determination and the restoration of the non-totalitarian statehood. The reinforcement of the civil society could lead to the broadening of the supreme power resources.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2000-15-1-5-27

      Pages: 5-27

  • ¹ 2, 1998

    • The Mass Protest Potential in the Contradictory Change Context

      Permanent social tension in Russia despite numerous gloomy forecasts practically does not turn into the large scale explosions with serious consequences on a national level. There is a number of factors that alleviate the dissatisfaction of the population. Among them are such phenomena as the disintegration of the social tissues and the atomisation of the Russian society, in combination with the non-developed interests of many social groups that are a part of it, weak trade unions, the lack of interest to politics and a retreat to private life of the majority of population, adaptation of citizens to the new socio-political realities, specific traditions of Russian culture – in the first place, the traditions of the Orthodoxy, that has always demonstrated its disrespect to the wealth and preached up frugality and patience as the supreme virtues. All that taken into consideration the protest activity still does increase and the year 1998 saw the peak of the confrontation between the authorities and the population for the whole of the post-communist period. The protest acts of hundred thousands workers and clerks make the social conflict management problem ever more acute. However, Russian authorities and the society did not prove to be ready to face it.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-1998-8-2-129-146

      Pages: 129-146

  • ¹ 1, 1998

    • The Baltic Region within the New System of Geopolitical Co-ordinates. (The Results of the International Conference)

      The author analyses the results of the international conference organised by the «Russian Public Policy Centre» Foundation (Moscow, Russia), by the Project on Ethnic Relations (Princeton, USA) and the Administration of the Novgorod region that took place May 15-16, 1998 in the city of Veliky Novgorod. Politicians, public figures and experts from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and other countries discussed the problems of integration of the Baltic states into European economic, political and military structures, the security of Russia’s western borders and the position of Russian communities in Baltic states. The presentations of the speakers have reflected the variety of points of view to the Baltic problems that exist in the modern world.

      DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-1998-7-1-146-156

      Pages: 146-156

  • ¹ 1, 1997

  • ¹ 1, 1996

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