title: How Securitization is Affecting the Relationship Between the United States and Putin's Russia: A Study of Securitization vs. Authoritarianism
abstract: Since Vladimir Putin first took office at the beginning of the twentieth-century, many politicians and scholars have called his methods of ruling of Russia into question. This paper seeks to explain the reasons for the actions that Putin has taken while in charge of Russia, particularly in the respect to the claim that he has created an “authoritarian state” similar to the one of the former Soviet Union. In doing so, the paper will analyze three key aspects: Putin’s background, institutional bac