Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Thoughts on President Medvedev
For those of you who are interested (and didn't hear Michele Kelemen's report on NPR's Morning Edition).
Igor Yurgens, vice president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, was quoted as saying, "He's a young guy, Internet generation leader - from this point of view, more open."
Mark Medish, of the Carnegie Endowment, feels that both outgoing presidents--Putin and Bush--have left their successors, in terms of the U.S.-Russia relationship, "a list of things to be done in the future, things that have not been really accomplished ..."
My takeaway? "This is the first Russian leader who was trained in instruments of power that are not military and not intelligence. So for the 20th century, the fear was Russian tanks are going to be coming across the border. We're now dealing with the 21st century Russian leader who understands that energy and currency are the tools of power."
My colleague Paul Saunders has this to say on the subject.
Igor Yurgens, vice president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, was quoted as saying, "He's a young guy, Internet generation leader - from this point of view, more open."
Mark Medish, of the Carnegie Endowment, feels that both outgoing presidents--Putin and Bush--have left their successors, in terms of the U.S.-Russia relationship, "a list of things to be done in the future, things that have not been really accomplished ..."
My takeaway? "This is the first Russian leader who was trained in instruments of power that are not military and not intelligence. So for the 20th century, the fear was Russian tanks are going to be coming across the border. We're now dealing with the 21st century Russian leader who understands that energy and currency are the tools of power."
My colleague Paul Saunders has this to say on the subject.
