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For a second week now, people are discussing Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev's call to reinstate direct elections for governors and to strip the Russian president of the power to disband regional parliaments if they reject the gubernatorial candidate he submits for their approval. Shaimiyev's ideas come across as more proactive than reactive, and as a forecaster of future shifts in the political landscape, the occupant of Kazan's Kremlin appears to be more talented than the experts in the other Kremlin.
President Dmitry Medvedev's first month on the job has provided a good opportunity to analyze the developing relationship between the new leader and the regions. Most important, we have seen a continuation of Moscow's policy toward the regions that was initiated last autumn with the appointment of Dmitry Kozak as the regional development minister. And contrary to many predictions, no major shakedowns have taken place, and it doesn't appear that there will be any in the near future -- not in the gubernatorial ranks or the replacement of heavyweights, such as Mayor Yury Luzhkov.
Masha Lipman joined Gary Younge of the Guardian and Rami Khouri of the Daily Star on NPR's Talk of the Nation to discuss how people around the globe are following the US presidential election, and what is being said about the candidates overseas.
From the Carnegie Moscow Center - Joseph Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, and Philip E. Coyle, senior advisor at the Center for Defense Information argue that without cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, anti-missile defense development could adversely affect bilateral relations and undercut strategic stability.
When Vladimir Putin became acting president in January 2000, he appointed his trusted colleagues as presidential envoys, including many from the Federal Security Service. After his inauguration in May of that year, Putin announced federal reforms that included the appointments of presidential envoys consisting largely of military officials. Now there have been a few, insignificant changes among the president's "eyes and ears" in the federal districts. The presidential envoys, who hold equal status with the deputy prime ministers, are a continuation of Putin's policy of "divide and conquer" -- this time applied to the regions.
Jessica T. Mathews addresses U.S.-Russian relations, nonproliferation, Iran, and global philanthropy in an interview for the Great Decisions Television Series, an eight show series that examines all sides of the most critical foreign policy issues.
During Vladimir Putin's presidency, tight control of the mass media evolved as one of the Russian leadership's key political resources. It will be equally indispensable to newly inaugurated President Dmitry Medvedev.
Robert Kagan and The New York Times’ David Brooks discussed Kagan’s new book The Return of History and the End of Dreams.
Since the inauguration, the presidential web site has evolved into the domain of President Dmitry Medvedev, and the updated version of the White House's web site now carries information about Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's activities. But the smooth transfer of power between presidents is a complicated process, and it is important to examine how Medvedev will be able to build constructive relationships with the regions.
The vision is grand, the reality less so. Russia's foreign policy has been merely assertive and reactive up till now. Will the new President manage something more constructive?
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