VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
MOSCOW — Nearly two decades after the collapse of the Communist Party, Russia’s rulers have hit upon a model for future success: the Communist Party.
IT'S BECOME SO commonplace that the world little noticed last Sunday when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin staged another phony, Soviet-style election. As in the old days, the ruling party (now known as «United Russia» instead of «Communist Party of the Soviet Union») won a smashing victory in local jurisdictions across the country, with opposing party politicians reduced to bit parts permitted for decorative effect only. Mr. Medvedev, who frequently impresses Western politicians with his statements in praise of democracy, hailed the elections as «well organized,» which we suppose is undeniable. Mr. Putin, who is less sentimental about these things, dismissed protesting politicians as whiners: «Those who don't win are never happy,» he sniffed.
VIEWED from the outside, things have been going quite well for Russia recently. The United States has scrapped, at least for now, the plan to base missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic. Germany and Russia seem to have overcome opposition in Europe to their Nord Stream pipeline, despite fears that it will solidify Russia’s dominance of the European natural gas supplies. Oil prices have recovered from the disastrously low — for Russia — levels of last winter. And, far from buckling under pressure from the United States over sanctions against Iran, Russian leaders felt confident enough to concede almost nothing to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her visit to Moscow this week.
A soft answer can sometimes turn away wrath, but not always, and presidents have to be wary of showing timidity and weakness in the face of a bully. This is the expensive lesson the tinhorns of the world are teaching Barack Obama. So far he is not an honors student.
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have abandoned their attempt to join the World Trade Organisation as a single customs union, after WTO members made clear the unprecedented move would add years to the negotiations.
Kad tīmeklī ieraudzīju sirsnīgo ziņu par Krievijas premjerministra Vladimira Putina dāvanu pašam sev dzimšanas dienā – tikšanos ar krievu inteliģenci, tostarp rakstniekiem, nodomāju, ka patiesībā viņam vajadzēja tikties ar žurnālistiem, sevišķi tiem, kuri 7. oktobrī pieminēja savas kolēģes Annas Poļitkovskas noslepkavošanas dienu. Viņu Maskavā, pašas mājā, nogalināja Vladimira Putina 54. dzimšanas dienā – 2006. gada 7. oktobrī.
There is probably less than meets the eye in substantive terms to the recent Russian intransigence on a sanctions regime for Iran. Vladimir Putin merely said that talk of additional sanctions was «premature»--and if the New York Times report cited in my post below can be credited, Putin is right.
Dmitry Medvedev has taken a step towards putting his own stamp on the Kremlin with the appointment of two speechwriters.
Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Russia’s economic decline is forcing the country to walk the walk after more than a decade of talk about dragging the largest energy exporter away from its oil dependency and reducing the footprint of the state.
