Putins Mini-Me - Russland og demokratiet

New York Times har en herlig satirisk, men likevel alvorlig lederartikkel om Putin og hans Russland i dag:

Editorial

Putin’s Mini-Me (or Not?)

• Published: March 4, 2008

And so it came to pass as Vladimir Putin decreed: Dmitri Medvedev will be Russia’s next president. There were no surprises in Sunday’s balloting. After eight years as Russia’s head of state, Mr. Putin ruthlessly and efficiently engineered the selection — none dare call it an election in any credible democratic sense — of his successor, who won slightly more than 70 percent of the vote.

Mr. Medvedev owes his career to Mr. Putin and promoted his candidacy as one that will ensure continuance of the former Soviet spy master’s agenda. But is that the best we can expect, four more years of a Putin-like Kremlin that uses its full powers to quash all serious political opposition, intimidate neighboring states and encourage a macho confrontation with the West? Is Medvedev, who agreed in advance to make Mr. Putin prime minister, merely Mr. Putin’s clone or will he prove to be his own man, as did Mr. Putin when he succeeded Boris Yeltsin?

During the controlled process that passes for a political campaign in Russia, Mr. Medvedev dropped tantalizing hints that he might not be in complete lock step with his patron. He indicated that he might not be as strident toward the West and might have some reform tendencies, vowing to crack down on corruption and promote the rule of law.

We hope those are truly his instincts and that Mr. Medvedev nurtures them as he matures in office and operates — increasingly independently — from Mr. Putin. Early signs are troubling. Hours after the election, Russia reduced gas supplies to Western-inclined Ukraine. Mr. Medvedev heads Gazprom, Russia’s gas monopoly.

The United States and its allies need Russia as a partner to address many international challenges, including Iran, Kosovo and arms control. They must deal pragmatically with the realities of Russian power, as the administrations of Richard Nixon and George H.W. Bush once did. But they cannot pretend that Mr. Putin and his allies operate from democratic intentions. They must push for more open elections and political and journalistic freedoms. America and its partners should deliver that message strongly at this year’s Group of 8 meeting of industrialized nations.

After years of post-cold war decline, Russians understandably want their leaders to reassert a world role and take firm charge of the country’s many problems. Mr. Putin helped stabilize Russia and reaped the benefits of its surging oil and gas wealth, but he went overboard in reverting to a corrosive authoritarianism. Mr. Medvedev takes office in May as daunting new challenges — including rising inflation, slow economic growth and a health care system in shambles — must be addressed. We hope he returns Russia to a democratic path and ensures that he is not just a footnote to Putin’s place in history.