‘Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss’.  Fans of The Who will recognize the lyric perhaps better than they do the name Dmitry Medvedev. 

Kremlin watchers will recognize the name better than the lyric, but they will also know that the new boss is the old boss, or at least the old boss’s man.

Two Term President Vladimir Putin, aka Mr Popular, handpicked Medvedev to be his successor knowing that whoever he put forward would be elected President. The Russians obliged him with a 70% vote for the new man.

Plan Putin is simple. Medvedev becomes President and announces that Putin becomes Prime Minister. Putin ensures that his new job becomes more powerful. Then he changes the Constitution which currently prevents anyone serving ‘Three consecutive terms as President’ and clarifies that they would be allowed to serve three terms as long as they are not consecutive. You can guess the next bit.

And who is the figurehead for all this? Dimitry Medvedev, the man he was with when they both served on St Petersburg city council, the man he propelled to become Chariman of Gazprom, the man who will become the respectable face of Russia.

There’ll be no vodka sessions ala Yeltsin, no posing semi naked, ala Putin, Medvedev is destined to become a manager, not a great leader.

What do we know about him? He likes Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, he practises Yoga, he’s married with one son, and at 42 he’s the youngest Russian leader since Nicholas the Second in the 1890's.

The more important stuff is that as Chairman of Gazprom he learnt the ways of global capitalism and the power of oil and gas as a foreign policy tool. Perhaps he was reflecting on this as the Russian national anthem was played during his swearing in ceremony.’A wide expanse for dreams and for life. The coming years open up to us’

He does not appear to have a strong ideology, he is the first leader for decades who wasn’t in the Communist Party and to date he’s shown no overtly nationalist sentiment.

And the bear reference? Well for once it’s not the just useful and ubiquitous cliché trotted out at these times, he really is a bear. The name Medvedev comes from the Russian word for bear. In fact drill a bit deeper into the etymology and we learn ‘med’ is the root word for honey, and ‘veda’ is ‘one who knows’, thus Medvedev knows where the honey is and he knows that Gazprom has got lots of it.

Comments

[Theodore Athens 14 May 2008 01:02:44]

The Awakening of the Red Bear

The prophecy is coming alive. The Red Bear (with 'bear' Medvedev), and the yellow giant (China), are both about to wake up from their eternal sleep and rule the world!

It was about time because all these years, the U.S. government was acting as the PIMP of the planet, knowing that they are the one and only powerful nation on earth.

The U.S. pimp will leave his place to the Russian and Chinese pimps, which means that the United States of America, will become the hooker of Putin, Medvedev and China! ABOUT TIME!

[London 11 May 2008 23:19:49]

Well….USA and UK with EU not happy to see how quick Russia restores the Power!

The Great country is back in business but with more hunger, economically and military.

Future looks in power RUSSIA and CHINA this is true…

Peace.

[London 11 May 2008 23:18:16]

Well….USA and UK with EU not happy to see how quick Russia restores the Power!

Russia
The Great country is back in business but with more hunger, economically and military.

Future looks in power RUSSIA and CHINA this is true…

Peace.

[mark. Southamptn 9 May 2008 19:35:18]

I think developments in Russian politics is a result of an identity crisis, so it reverts back to it natural pattern of Russian history. Historically, Russia has always known a dictatorial government. Pluralistic society has never really been known. Therefore, it is easier for the current leadership to fall back on its historical characteristics. If one takes into account Russia's issues over its own identity, domestically and internationally; it is again easier to fall back into the political/historical paradigm it has always known.
In regards to Russia's international relations, the government is positioning itself in a way where it can use its rising oil/gas prices, to give it leverage on the world stage, Russia wants to be assertive because of its identity and history, so that it can alter the balance of power away from the US with an expanding EU/NATO, breakaway satellite states and US defence shields on its back door. I would argue Russia does this due to its identity and the lose of it after the Soviet era. I would argue that Russia’s international Relations have historically been based upon realism; again this is a return to its historical identity.

[jeanette, south africa 8 May 2008 22:03:21]

Hi there Tim

I'm fairly impressed by Dmitry
Medvedev's choice of music. No Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath, I noticed. A bit before his time maybe.

Now you know dynamite comes in small packages, and Putin
is a real well packed small package,'posing semi naked', and the Bear is not so big himself.

So I'm sure between these two packages they will run the country with iron fists and bottles of honey from the supermarket shelves.

Kind regards
Jeanette

[Khalid 8 May 2008 16:15:48]

Sir
Very interesting analogy If I may put it in such bare words, however, Russia as we know it is not like the Russia past, suffice to say it has gone from strength to strentgh and cares more for world peace (if not attacked) than the colden day when honey was as sticky an object as many an oil slick.
Whilst congratulating Russia on its new drive towards prosperity, I would if they would assist us mere mortals and control the monetary valves that pump a lot of gas and oil towards the UK household. We dont want [Shakira] to have an [Objection] now do we? No.