The project is devoted to the new interpretation of political development, democracy, and republicanism in the post-Soviet region. I look for an answer to the crucial question: how democratic breakthroughs could occur in post-Soviet Eurasia and in countries like Russia? In contrast to mainstream literature, I underline the decisive role of informal politics as a tool and a mode of governance in the region, which has long remained an under-researched topic, and investigate how corrupted oligarchic and clan systems, in some cases, unexpectedly stimulate competitive politics. Surprisingly, in some cases, informal patronal politics can paradoxically encourage the development of political pluralism and political contestation (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan) through a combination of formal and informal power-sharing arrangements between major oligarchic groups and regional clans. I argue that, under certain circumstances, these equilibria can produce pro-republican „Machiavellian moments” that may lead to democratic breakthroughs even in highly personalistic and authoritarian regimes, even if, in most cases, they ultimately fail and either consolidate or reintroduce authoritarian power. The term „Machiavellian moment,” introduced by the late intellectual historian J.G.A. Pocock, refers to the challenges political systems face in maintaining stability and legitimacy while balancing the competing interests of various political actors. This concept is central to my analysis of governance and democratic developments in post-Soviet Eurasia and on a global scale. I conceptualize the current situation as a „Machiavellian moment” for post-Soviet Eurasia, in which political turmoil and the shocks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine affect both formal and informal institutions, reshaping governance systems, political cleavages, and political regime configurations at both national and regional levels.

RSVP Agnes Bendik at bendikag@ceu.edu