What the Future Holds for Russia Under Medvedev
Russians voted Dmitry Medvedev in as their next President over the weekend. In an election characterized by the West as more of a coronation than an election, President Putin and the Kremlin apparatus, has put the full weight behind Medvedev’s bid for the presidency. Now, as the dust of the electoral farce clears, the world wonders what will the future hold for Russia under the leadership of Medvedev.
From Reuters . . .
Analysts say it remains to be seen whether that will be the case once Medvedev gets his hands on the levers of power and his fingers on Russia’s nuclear trigger.
Putin himself was initially viewed as a safe option who could be easily manipulated by then-president Boris Yeltsin’s inner circle when he was plucked from obscurity in 1999 and thrust into the presidency.
Within a year, he had changed direction dramatically, centralizing control in the Kremlin, clamping down on free media and the opposition, and pursuing a hawkish line with the West.
Now Putin, a 55-year-old former KGB spy with a liking for martial arts and the military, has chosen a man from a different generation with a different style to succeed him after serving the maximum two consecutive terms allowed by the constitution.
Though Putin has said he will serve as Medvedev’s prime minister, some analysts believe this could be more to help his protege find his feet than to control him as a puppetmaster. Read more…
Tags: empire, Kremlin, Medvedev, Neo-Cold War, Putin, Russia, Russophile
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