Political exile is a situation in which individuals or groups claim supreme authority over a country that they no longer control, relying on recognition from host countries to sustain themselves, facilitate the remote exercise of their governmental powers, and ultimately to return to and regain control of their homelands. Governments-in-exile operate in a wide variety of ways, and some come to develop into powerful forces challenging incumbent regimes from afar while others are maintained chiefly as a symbolic gesture.
The term ‘diaspora’ is often used in conjunction with political exile, highlighting migratory processes and experiences that inform how ideas of modernity, nation, identity, and place are negotiated, transgressed, and fractured. Diaspora movements and cultural practices – for example, those stemming from anti-Semitism, war, colonial violence, transatlantic slavery, homophobia, or poverty – give rise to very difficult human migrations and border crossings that challenge and contribute to the development of alternative understandings of sovereignty, territorialization (the jurisdiction and regulation of territory by a government), and exile.
The community of Russian political émigrés is highly diverse in terms of ideological and regional representation, and a wide spectrum of potential outcomes can be envisioned for their future engagement with Russia. Nonetheless, there is a need for ongoing dialogue between Western elites and the Russian diaspora and a systematic approach to training and supporting these individuals and organizations. This is an area in which the Free Russia Foundation already plays a crucial role, but it can be expanded and improved.
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