, Columnist
The U.S. Election's Echoes of 1996 Russia
An unpopular Yeltsin emerged as the bulwark against a dangerous populist.
Gennady Zyuganov was the man to stop.
Photographer: Alexey Sazonov/AFP/Getty ImageThis article is for subscribers only.
The very strange U.S. presidential election bears some surprising similarities to the 1996 campaign in Russia -- a momentous event that undermined a fragile democracy and led to the emergence of Vladimir Putin's dictatorial regime. This precedent could be especially telling if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump end up their parties' nominees in the general election.
The electoral systems in Russia and the U.S. have little in common, but odd things happen when the political establishment is trying to neutralize a populist challenger, which is how the 1996 Russian race was framed.