Fear and loathing

恐慌與厭惡同在

How the Kremlin is using the law for political ends

克里姆林宮如何操縱法律以達政治目的

For generations of Russian leaders, the law has been a tool of state power, not a limit on its abuse. In recent months, as Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and his advisers have navigated an unfamiliar political environment, they too have fallen back on a kind of nominal legalism, in which the law is less for protecting the citizenry than an instrument of power.

對于幾代俄羅斯領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人而言，法律已經(jīng)成為他們攫取國家權(quán)力的工具，而不再是限制權(quán)力濫用的利器。最近幾個月以來，俄羅斯總統(tǒng)弗拉基米爾·普京及其顧問開創(chuàng)了一種不同的政治局面，從而回歸到了一種名義上的守法主義之路上。如此，法律與其說是用來保護民眾利益，不如說是一種權(quán)力工具。

經(jīng)濟學(xué)人中英對照:俄羅斯政治 恐慌與厭惡并存

As the Kremlin sees it, compared with uglier measures of neutralising dissent, the law is an “efficient and civilised tool” that allows for a certain “wiliness,” says Mikhail Krasnov of the Higher School of Economics. In practice, that means the law can be deployed selectively against political opponents, or laws can be drafted to solve immediate problems.

俄羅斯高等經(jīng)濟學(xué)院教授米凱爾·克拉斯諾夫稱，在克里姆林宮看來，相比其他“更卑劣的‘和諧’手段而言，法律這種“有效而文明的工具”留有一定的“周旋”余地。事實上，這就意味著*可以選擇性地使用法律來打壓政敵，或者可以擬定相關(guān)法律解決迫在眉睫的問題。