Sharon Rivera, assistant professor of government, organized a panel titled "Political Leadership in the CIS" at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, held November 20-23, 2003 in Toronto. She also presented a paper at the panel on "Putin, the West, and the Roots of Russian-American Cooperation."
Rivera's research looks at the conflict between Russia's so-called "Westernizers" and "Slavophiles" over the nation's identity that has existed since the reign of Peter the Great. Specifically, Rivera analyzed President Vladimir Putin's personal statements and policies in three different realms (democracy/governance, economics and judicial reform) to determine into which camp he falls. The reasearch found that in his personal statements and his policies on economics and judicial reform, Putin is a Westernizer, while his policies on goverance more closely follow Slavophile thought. Overall, says Rivera, Putin can be classified as a Westernizer. Putin's tendencies towards Westernization and Western thought have important implications to international affairs, particularly US-Russian relations.
