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?
Russia's Presidential Election: Freedom Versus Stability
Credits
Guests:
- Clifford Levy - Moscow Bureau Chief, New York Times
- Edward Lozansky - American University in Moscow - @EdwardLozansky
- Edward Lucas - The Economist - @edwardlucas
- Ian Bremmer - Eurasia Group - @ianbremmer