Russian President Vladimir Putin will stay on as Prime Minister in the government led by his designated successor, Dimitry Medvedev, after the elections of March 2008
Thomas P.M. Barnett, a noted bestselling author and expert on Russia, posted a few thoughts on his weblog this week about Russian President Vladimir Putin, comparing him to the elder statesman of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew:
Political experts now search his [Putin's] past to figure his motives. Can we believe him when he says he's pursuing a transformation process at a pace appropriate to a country ruled for centuries in an authoritarian manner?Based on what we saw in the 1990s under Yeltsin, I'd say he's got a decent case. To that end, one can claim Putin is simply allowing his social and political structures sufficient time to adapt to a global economic landscape that's not easily navigated by the naive or less-than-determined-to-succeed.
Key to me is that he respected the need to give up the presidency. He didn't break the rule set. He's getting around it somewhat, but that's very Russian—the land of the work-around...
You can read the rest of Dr. Barnett's post here.
Click on the extended post for links to previous posts by Dr. Barnett related to Russia Blog.
Thomas P.M. Barnett is the author of The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the 21st Century and Blueprint for Action: A Future Worth Creating. Dr. Barnett graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BA in Russian Language and Literature and earned his PhD in international relations from Harvard University.
Good, elaborating post on Russia's demo decline on Russia Blog
Part 1 & Part 2
