Russia
Russia is asserting itself as an imperial power. Isolated since its invasion of Ukraine, it is seeking to strengthen its ties with non-Western countries. At home, Vladimir Putin's regime is hardening.
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Russia's diplomacy is more active than it was ten years ago
Since December 2011 there is a real convergence between the perception of President Vladimir Putin and the perception of Russia, especially, in the Western media.
That leads to several comments. The first is the feeling that there is now a new, much more concentrated power in the Kremlin, and that to some extent leads to the question about the very difficult challenge for Russia to build balanced institutions. And there is the perception that, on this particular point, Russia has not made progress. And this is the main area of concern as seen from outside.
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Vladimir Putin turns 60
What are, in your opinion, his main successes during these 60 years?
- Vladimir Putin’s main success is his ability to be elected the President of Russia for two times; he is certainly a leader with a prominent standing in the Russian history. However, the question of whether the third presidency can be regarded as a success or an achievement is still open. The conditions under which the elections were held, especially the political opposition will be a political problem for him and for Russia for the next 6 years. My answer is that the first two elections were definite successes, but I wonder about the third one.
What lies behind Russia's new laws ?
Does the introduction of these laws lead to a more civilized political and cultural discourse in Russia?
- The main stake of these laws does not really deal with the emergence of a more civilized political discourse in Russia. What ultimately lies behind the Duma’s new laws is a mixture of nervousness about a political environment that is wholly unfamiliar, and a belief in the methods of Vladimir Putin’s previous stints as president.
The "Arab Spring" has contributed to somewhat strain ties between Moscow and Ankara
Will there be a significant change of policy, in Russia itself and in its foreign affairs, during Putin's third term as president?
- For the past two months, Putin has published a series of seven pre-electoral articles in Russian newspapers. Each of these focus on a particular area of Russia's policy - its social, economic, defense policy, its external relations, etc.
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