President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- )
Now that Dmitri Medvedev is sworn in as our new President, the political course of Russia shall certainly undergo some changes. However, the priorities remain the same. Russia shall continue to defend its interests, develop its social sector, and establish democratic economic relations with its partners. Mr Medvedev is a politician who comes out of a brand-new political élite; he is guided by a new system of values and has a new conception of the role of Russia as a global player. Apparently, Mr Medvedev will use a distinct approach to solve key problems in Russian society.
Most experts tend to think that Russian relations with the West shall become more balanced under Medvedev. According to a recent opinion poll, a third of all Russians share this opinion. They expect Mr Medvedev to carry out a flexible foreign policy, whilst at the same time, they expect him to defend Russian national interests. Most Russians are against a discordant confrontation with the West. Political analyst Denis Dragunsky thinks that the newly-elected President shall take the results of the survey into consideration before making any steps in this direction. “Under President Medvedev, Russia is expected to pay more attention to cooperation with the West, since Russia itself is a part of Europe. Since the 10th century, Russia has been considered a constituent part of Europe. We must keep this in mind and develop a clear-cut programme of development in the European and Atlantic regions. Balanced politics means equal distribution of power between all members of the political community”.
Recent opinion polls show that Russians oppose a Soviet-like hard-line policy towards other states. Whilst he was president, Vladimir Putin used to say that it was not possible to even think of a return to the Cold War period. As Mr Putin’s successor, Mr Medvedev is expected to adhere to the same political course of non-confrontation.
19 May 2008
Voice of Russia World Service
http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27181&cid=56&p=19.05.2008 (in English)
