The Evolution of the Russian Polity: The Case of the Security Council

The demise of the Soviet Union and the resurrection of the Russian state made the creation of new administrative structures inevitable. To address national-security issues, the Russian Security Council was established in March, 1992. This paper examines the effectiveness of Boris Yeltsin's efforts to construct this key part of the political structure. As a result of a new constitution which has concentrated power in the Presidency as well as continuing instability in the Russian polity, Yeltsin has found it necessary to create the functional equivalent of the former communist party administrative structure to enact national security policy.