The Warrior Who Would Rule Russia

A Profile of Aleksandr Lebed

Benjamin S. Lambeth

ResearchPublished 1996

This report offers a detailed portrait of retired Russian Army Lieutenant General Aleksandr I. Lebed, who first rose to prominence in 1993 as the commander of Russia’s 14th Army in Moldova and later was appointed security advisor in 1996 by the reelected President Boris Yeltsin. Lebed, who himself finished a strong third in the June 16 presidential election, joined forces with Yeltsin and helped ensure the latter’s victory in the subsequent July 3 runoff. A richer understanding of Lebed’s declared outlook on a broad range of issues can offer valuable insights into what kind of Russia the United States will have to deal with in the years ahead. The report portrays Lebed as a respected professional of strong authoritarian bent and unsure devotion to democracy, yet one who has spoken out against crime and corruption, appears committed to a market economy, and is less aggressively nationalistic than many Western accounts have suggested.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Lambeth, Benjamin S., The Warrior Who Would Rule Russia: A Profile of Aleksandr Lebed. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1996. https://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR805.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This publication is part of the RAND monograph report series. The monograph report was a product of RAND from 1993 to 2003. RAND monograph reports presented major research findings that addressed the challenges facing the public and private sectors. They included executive summaries, technical documentation, and synthesis pieces.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.