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.