Russia is culturally European but institutionally non-Western; Western refers to rule of law, real elections, market economy, and free society—institutional features—not geography or ethnicity; Japan is non-European but institutionally Western.

definitionpending

Speaker

Stephen Kotkin

Evidence Quote

Russia is European, Dan. But it's non-Western...Western is an institutional matrix...rule of law, it's real elections, it's a market economy. It's a free society. That's Western...Japan is not European. But it's Western.

Source

Stephen Kotkin: Russia’s Murky Future | Foreign Affairs InterviewForeign Affairs
Created: 8/12/2026, 10:22:55 PM

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