Still staying on the issue of Russia, Mark Dillen, head of an international public affairs consultancy and blog writer for FPA's 2008 Presidential Election and Public Diplomacy blogs, attended and discussed the World Affairs Council of Northern California's annual conference which featured a ‘Reading Russia’ series. Dillen discusses that most of the scholars present were pessimistic about Russia and its new President's future, calling the nation and the leader ‘more authoritarian.’
However, Dillen found a Russian analyst who had a more nuanced view of the great power and its new leader, Dimitri Trenin, Deputy Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. Trenin sought to highlight the fact that though the Russian's change over of power was anything close to a free and fair a election, it more likely resembled the choice of one really, really Super Delegate, it was still a peaceful, organized step-down and ascension of power in nation without a history of such an occurrence. Trenin also argues that it is in Putin's interest to secure a ‘mature’ and strong President Medvedev. Trenin states ‘I think the West would be right to read this as a case of regency whose purpose would not be to give Mr. Putin a formal pretext for returning to power but rather to guarantee that Medvedev succeeds.’
We have talked about Robert Kagan's new book arguing that Russia and China offer the world's states another model for modernization, one based on authoritative government. And we have also discussed how the Medvedev/Putin changeover would affect Russia's foreign relations, especially in Central Asia. Will Russia's peaceful transition of power have any impact on the government and leaders of Central Asia? Most of the CA states have leaders for life or have consistently augmented their constitutions to secure their continued rule. Who do you agree with more, the majority of Russian scholars who are pessimistic about the great power's authoritative nature and future or with Trenin, who sees some progress in the state's recent governmental changeover?
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
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In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
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On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
