How Cynicism Is Helping Autocracy Thrive

New York Magazine writer Mikhail Idov, who worked in Moscow for many years, takes a closer look how cynicism, which is so common in Russian society, is helping the autocratic regime.

In a society that discourages citizens from trusting each other, and from trusting the establishment, there is just enough power that can be taken by an autocratic regime. In a country where the institutions are inconvenient enough to make everyone pay petty bribes, or to solve their problems through personal connections, nobody can claim the moral high ground and will, eventually, leave the political arena.