Putin's Intentions Debated After Shift on 4-Year Term

By Philip P. Pan

Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, November 28, 2008; Page A12

MOSCOW -- Not so long ago, a relatively young, newly elected president of Russia was presented with a proposal to amend the nation's constitution and extend the four-year term of the presidency.

His response was unequivocal. "The terms of presidential authority will not be changed under the current president," Vladimir Putin said in 2001, his second year in office, arguing that amendments to the constitution "dictated by political considerations" were dangerous. "Even in the most difficult times and times of crisis," he said, "those in power did not succumb to the temptation to correct the constitution for themselves. In the end, this was for the good." Putin repeated the pledge on the eve of his second term, saying the constitution should be left "untouched."

Now, months after leaving>>>

Putting The Hurt On Putin

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, September 04, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Russia: Vladimir Putin is desperate, which is bad news for us. Because a desperate Russia under an increasingly nationalistic and paranoid leader poses a greater danger than at any time since the Soviet Union's collapse.

Vice President Dick Cheney is visiting Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine this week to reassure those nations that the U.S. is a true-blue ally rather than a fair-weather friend.

On Thursday, Cheney ripped>>>

President Obama's First Test

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, November 06, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Geopolitics: Joe Biden said Barack Obama would have his inexperience tested within his first six months. The Russians waited all of two hours before vowing to target our missile defense sites in Poland. Let the testing begin.

In his first state of the nation address, Russian President Dimitri Medvedev announced that Moscow would deploy SS-26 Iskander missiles in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad situated between our NATO allies Poland and Lithuania.

Their purpose is to target our missile interceptors that are scheduled to be based there to defend against Iranian missiles. "The Iskander missile system will be deployed in Kaliningrad to neutralize, when necessary, the missile shield," Medvedev said.

Russia's SS-26 short-range>>>

Investors Looking To Leave Russia?

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 4:20 PM PT

The Georgia Invasion: In contrast with the West's otherwise tepid response to Moscow's new nationalism, one group has taken a tough stance — investors, who are leading the march out of Russia's markets.

On Friday, Russia's central bank announced that its foreign currency reserves — a key part of its economic stability and an indicator of foreign investor support — had plunged $16.4 billion in the most recent week, to $581.1 billion (see chart).

Until Russia's move into Georgia, there seemingly had been only massive capital inflows, thanks mainly to the rising price of oil, which makes up 20% of Russia's gross domestic product.

Now, it seems, investors are fed up with the rampant militaristic nationalism, red tape, corruption and anti-investor sentiment in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Some have decided to head for the door and take their money with them.

Last week's decline was>>>

U.S., Russia Cooperate on Key Issues Amid Tensions

• SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is continuing to engage Russia on some key strategic issues even as it has stepped up its rhetoric against Moscow.

The Bush administration is also keeping open an option that would allow the next U.S. president to move ahead with a landmark nuclear-cooperation agreement with Russia should bilateral tensions eventually ease, U.S. officials said.

Landov

Russian military actions prompted the U.S. to shelve a nuclear deal. Above, a Russian antisubmarine destroyer.

President George W. Bush had promoted legislation authorizing the pact in a bid to strengthen strategic ties between the White House and the Kremlin. His administration withdrew its support for the deal this month, following Russia's military actions in Georgia.

But senior U.S. officials said the White House decided to formally withdraw the legislation from Congress rather than allow lawmakers to vote to kill the deal. This approach would give the next administration the option to reintroduce the legislation after taking office in January.

American diplomats say engagement>>>

Russia and the New Axis of Evil

• AUGUST 29, 2008

By ARTHUR HERMAN

With Russian tanks now presiding over the dismemberment of the Republic of Georgia, can a lame-duck Bush administration -- weary from its long drubbing by critics over Iraq and eyeing the exit door -- rise to the challenge Russia has chosen to pose to the Free World?

To understand the nature of this challenge, consider that the distance between Baghdad and Tbilisi is barely 578 miles, less than the distance between New York City and Chicago. Iraq and Georgia, both of which have democratic governments, are sandwiched between Iran and Russia, two of the most authoritarian governments in the world. Russia has been collaborating with Iran to strengthen the latter's nuclear program and its military. It is also steadily arming Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez.

Russia's invasion of Georgia came >>>

Solzhenitsyn's Brave New Words

Reinhardt Krause Reinhardt Krause – Thu Oct 9, 5:55 pm ET

When communist hard-liners toppled Soviet boss Nikita Khrushchev in 1964, Alexander Solzhenitsyn's literary career teetered.

Khrushchev had permitted the publishing of Solzhenitsyn's short novel, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich," in 1962.

The book used a peasant's struggle to portray Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin's slave-labor camp system.

Such exposure came to a swift end along with Khrushchev's downfall.

His successor, Leonid Brezhnev, reversed anti-Stalin>>>