Institute of Democracy and Cooperation is a think tank with offices in Moscow, Paris and New York. It was founded in 2008 by a Russian lawyer, Anatoly Kucherena, and is funded by Russian NGOs and private businesses.[1] It was set up to gain a hearing for Russian positions on global human rights and democracy, and to expose perceived double standards by the West in this area. It works by publishing reports and inviting speakers, seeking to encourages all sides of the argument to be put.[2] The Institute's Paris office is headed by historian and former parliamentarian Natalia Narochnitskaya, while the New York office is headed by political scientist Andranik Migranyan. Philosopher and hisorian John Laughland is Director of Studies in Paris. At the time of the institute's founding, Anatoly Kucherena said "We're not just planning to criticize the West". He said he hoped the institute's work would create healthy dialogue with Western human-rights and democracy advocates.[3]
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The Institute studies democracy and human rights in Europe and the United States and promotes the ideal of sovereignty and non-interference. It describes its aims as being
| “ | part of the debate about the relationship between state sovereignty and human rights; about East-West relations and the place of Russia in Europe; about the role of non-governmental organisations in political life; about the interpretation of human rights and the way they are applied in different countries; and about the way in which historical memory is used in contemporary politics. | ” |
It describes its outlook on human rights and international relations as "broadly conservative", referring to its emphasis on the nation-state as the best framework for the realisation of human rights and a belief that "humanitarian intervention" is often counter-productive.
Initial reactions have been that the Institute will have to overcome suspicions that it is "little more than another image-building tool for a Kremlin desiring a more prominent place in world affairs."[3]
Grigorii Golosov, Professor at European University at St. Petersburg believes the initial impulse for creating the institute came from a comment by Vladimir Putin, where he referred to EU-funded advocacy of democracy in Russia as to something that should be matched by Russia’s similar activities in Europe and elsewhere. Putin’s aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky explained that Mr Putin meant the European University at St. Petersburg that received a EU grant to implement a project on election monitoring in Russia, which Golosov led. Golosov notes that his university faced continuous harassment from the Russian authorities and was closed by the authorities on a pretext of "fire safety violations". At about the same time, the ‘Institute of Democracy and Cooperation’ was launched.[4]
Christopher Walker of Freedom House welcomed the Institute, but alleged that Russian NGOs lack the freedom that they will enjoy in the West.[3]