Carnegie Moscow Center
Russian liberals, like many of their counterparts across Russian society, need to set aside their patronizing attitude toward Ukraine and their longing for the historical might of the Soviet Union.
Russia’s next president must improve financial regulation and reduce the country’s dependence on oil revenue in order to prevent economic growth from deteriorating in the coming years.
The regional primaries for the State Duma elections in December demonstrate a growing intra-party democracy and political competition that will likely aid United Russia in holding onto its Duma majority, although it will not solve the problem of United Russia’s declining legitimacy.
Russia’s recovery from the global economic crisis has been slow, constrained by a number of economic and political structural problems. Until they are resolved, these issues will continue to hinder Russia’s development.
While the proposals put forward by President Dmitry Medvedev in a recent speech were new and original, the speech also reinforced his image as a president who makes bold statements but takes little action.
The All-Russia People’s Front, a creation of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, may succeed in bringing fresh faces into Russian government, but its primary role is to reinforce Putin’s role as national leader.
Too often, debate on the relationship between Europe and Russia is driven by events—including elections, changes in leadership, and summits—which may provide important policy openings but do not always allow for thoughtful consideration of the long-term factors that shape the relationship.
While Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has shown no signs of being willing to leave power after the 2012 presidential elections, it looks increasingly like there will be no role for President Dmitry Medvedev in the post-election era.
If Prime Minister Putin decides to run in Russia's 2012 presidential elections, there will be wide-ranging implications for both Russia and the international community.
In advance of the 2012 presidential election, Vladimir Putin seeks to convince the world that the rift between him and incumbent Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is growing. But there is no evidence that any real power is starting to move Medvedev’s way, and he is not ready to challenge Putin.