Russians' Rights Imperiled: Has Anybody Noticed?

Abstract

How successful has the diffusion of international norms been in Russia? According to Sarah Mendelson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, looks can be deceiving. Mendelson holds that “even when conditions that scholars have identified as necessary and sufficient for the spread of international norms are present, significant external and internal barriers can slow or otherwise impede their diffusion.” This problem seems particularly acute in Russia where, despite the proliferation of democratic institutions over the last decade, noncompliance with international norms seems to be on the rise, particularly in Chechnya.