In Russia, Democracy or One-Man Rule?

Making News

Bush Insists Economy is Not Headed into Recession ()

President Bush said today he does not think the US is headed for a recession, but he was surprised to hear what's happening at the gas pump for American drivers. Mark Silva reports from the White House for the Chicago Tribune.

Guests:

• Mark Silva: White House Correspondent, Chicago Tribune

Main Topic

Russia's Presidential Election: Freedom Versus Stability ()

From St. Petersburg to Siberia, Vladimir Putin has centralized Russian authority behind what the New York Times calls a "facade of democracy." Elections of provincial governors were cancelled altogether. The results of next Sunday's presidential election have been known for weeks. Dmitry Medvedev will succeed Putin as President and Putin will become Prime Minister, a job he calls "the highest executive power in the country." We hear about what's called "managed democracy," which means less freedom but greater "stability." That could be great for western investors, but for Washington it's another story.  Will Putin and Medvedev want better relations or a new kind of Cold War?

Guests:

• Clifford Levy: Moscow Bureau Chief, New York Times
• Edward Lozansky: Founder and President, American University in Moscow
• Edward Lucas: Reporter, Economist
• Ian Bremmer: President, Eurasia Group

Links:

• Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
• Lucas' 'The New Cold War: Putin's Russia and the Threat to the West'
• Chris Chivers' New York Times article on Medvedev
• Bremmer's 'The J. Curve: A New Way to Understand Why Nations Rise and Fall'

Reporter's Notebook

Georgia Wants Tennessee River, Chattanooga Sends Bottled Water ()

The Mayor of Chattanooga, Tennessee said yesterday was "Give Our Georgia Friends a Drink Day," with a tongue-in-cheek proclamation about a "drought of Biblical proportions," leaving the leaders of Georgia "like the Children of Israel," beginning to "cast long eyes toward the north, coveting their neighbor's assets." The last "Whereas" in Ron Littlefield's proclamation says, "if today, they come for our river, tomorrow they might come for out Jack Daniels." But with the water shortage no joke, in the interests of peace, he sent a truck of bottled water to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. Jay Bookman is deputy editorial page editor of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Guests:

• Jay Bookman: Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Links:

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution opinion article on the water plan