A question about Russian Politics

[stevej]

This is an honest question to the Russian members of MP.net, with no intent what-so-ever to offend or troll. I don't know if this is a sensitive topic ...

From what I have read in the news over the past year to me, a foreigner, it appears that Putin is in control of the country and your President is not doing very much.

The western media are always talking about and quoting Putin, like they were when he was President, and hardly ever mention Medvedev. I don't ever recall reading anything in the media about Sergei Stepashin when he held office.

Is Putin still in command, just moved offices? Is Medvedev just keeping the presidential seat warm so Putin can move back in after the next election?

As I said, this is just my impression, which I got from reading Western media.

[asch]

as far as i know, Medvedev working mad and Putin doing mostly PR stuff, though most of M decisions must go through P approval.

[void]

Reading Russian based media I actually read a hell of a lot more about Medvedev than Putin. Almost all of the "financial crisis" articles are "Medvedev is planning this, Medvedev enacted that", etc etc.

I think that Putin is highlighted in Western media more because he fits the preconceptions of an archetypal Russian leader better, and you can always refer to his KGB past to scare people :-) I wonder if many people were scared of Bush Sr because of his CIA past :-)

[Mousepad]

In Russian media, Medvedev is No1, Putin somwhere in shadows. From my impression, they get something about 75%vs25% media coverage. And as Void pointed out, Putin is a flash-ninja KGB-guy, and Medvedev is just a lawer, West have plenty of those in gov-s, they'r plain boring.

[AlexMartin2]

Yes, in media Medvedev is #1. But what is happening beyond closed doors, we dont know. I think there some sort of agreement between Medvedev and Putin about sharing the power.
Also I want to add that real decisions are not made purely by one of them. There are a lot of people in president administration and government, specialists and analysts, who provide information and details and helps make such decisions.
So both Medvedev and Putin do almost everything according to present-day policy in Russian politics, and such policy is a result of influence of many people. I do not belive that there can be only one man who make policy for country (no matter is it Russia or USA or other).

[stevej]

thanks for the replies.

Yea, Putin is seen as a mighty Russian ninja. Those photos of him hunting bare chested really enhanced that image.

[sup_tech]

I think that Putin is highlighted in Western media more because he fits the preconceptions of an archetypal Russian leader better, and you can always refer to his KGB past to scare people.

I couldn't put it better myself. There is no such thing as "free, unbiased and just Western media" when it comes to the international matters.

[Digimon]

I think that Putin is highlighted in Western media more because he fits the preconceptions of an archetypal Russian leader better, and you can always refer to his KGB past to scare people

x2

The media has decided that Putin is going to be ruling from behind the curtain 2 years in advance of the elections. As most conspiracy theories, this one is an unfalsifiable "hypothesis," which can be neither confirmed nor denied: since Putin operates in the "shadows," any evidence, or lack of it, is consistent with this claim...

Furthermore, the "behind the curtain" explanation itself is an ad hoc rescue for the theory that was endorsed by most critics in the media who predicted that Putin is not going to relinquish power and will change the Constitution to remain the president. When that did not happen, they just claim that he is still in control but rules from behind the curtain. Of course, if I claim that a leprechaun is stealing my keys, but nobody can locate the leprechaun, the most “reasonable” explanation is to claim that the sneaky leprechaun is invisible...

[GazB]

Basically western media doesn't like to be wrong. All this time they have painted putin as a hardliner... ex KGB... polonium assassin etc etc. They couldn't possibly accept that he might give up that power... it doesn't fit the stereotype they have created for him.

Look at the western media today... they love to point at politicians like Bush and claim they misled us all over WMDs... they rarely however mention that most of them were happy to spew out propaganda direct from the State department without checking it or verifying what was truth and what was speculation.
They'll all do docos about how these darn politicians led us astray but they wont look at themselves at how they just repeated what they were told without thinking or questioning.

[Zarak]

Even just watching/reading RT, (english) RIA Novosti, and (english) Pravda, Medvedev is mentioned far more than Putin. I recall a few articles about domestic policy that put Putin in the limelight but they seem to be few and far between in comparison. I don't know how this compares to western media as I'm generally uninterested in western articles about Russia (ever since 'Russia started the war with Georgia').

[1curious]

The only true statement about the question asked: very few on the outside really know WHO has the final word.

There are, however, astute observers (both inside and outside Russia - I am one of them) who can reasonably speculate about power sharing... all depends on the specific issue.

Another thing is getting more and more obvious: both leaders were/are involved in a transition period. Medvedev is assuming more and more responsibilities as time goes by. This is characteristic of (and necessary for) smooth transition of power in ANY state.

Putin is likely, as appropriate for any PM, still leading Russia's economic agenda while Medvedev is busy with strengthening (still very immature) legislative and civil branches of the new Russian state. Let's face it, only 17 years ago it was a completely different economic system of a much different country - lots of things need to be built from scratch.

As for WHO makes top international policy decisions, it's likely a small circle of advisers to both where Putin is still calling the shots but gradually receding into a role of the top adviser ...

[GazB]

As for WHO makes top international policy decisions, it's likely a small circle of advisers to both where Putin is still calling the shots but gradually receding into a role of the top adviser ...

I would suggest that Medvedevs job allows him more free time than Putins. If either have time to do both jobs then they have a time machine. I am sure Medvedev listens to Putin but I doubt that he is his dog.

[Digimon]

...I am sure Medvedev listens to Putin but I doubt that he is his dog.

This distinction is rarely if ever made, yet it is so reasonable. The problem is so ill-defined that in its current state any speculation is bound to be meaningless. In order to make the call whether Medvedev is “in charge” it is necessary to know, at least approximately, what conditions must obtain for the claim to be true. If we have no idea what these conditions are, the debate will spin for eternity. One can imagine a number of such conditions:

1) Counsel: One might argue that seeking counsel from Putin in matters of policy is the sufficient condition for Medvedev not being in charge. Both Putin and Medvedev have confirmed that they do seek each other’s advice in a range of state matters (including those in exclusive purview of the president), as without a doubt do most other political leaders and premiers.

2) Protégé: It is also possible to argue that Medvedev is incapable of making independent decisions in virtue of his personal relationship to Putin as a former protégé. So, he is not in control because he seeks his advice and is generally psychologically incapable of making decisions without it—these constitute the necessary and sufficient conditions of not being in control. Of course, this is not a situation which is either illegal or one that could not arise in other political systems (e.g. between G. Bush and Reagan in the 80s).

3) Coercion: Finally, and the most reasonable set of conditions, is that Medvedev simply cannot make independent decisions because he is not allowed to do so. On this view, not being in control means being either physically or emotionally coerced into doing the bidding of the premier despite the legal powers to do otherwise.

So, what do the astute observers in the media do? They certainly do not bother with any of these distinctions or investigations of the evidence for emotional dependence, physical coercion, or frequent counsel. Instead, they assume that Medvedev is not in charge, and then monitor the news for some disconfirmation of their theory—evidence that would show that Medvedev made a decision that Putin would not make (e.g. the decision to give his first newspaper interview to the “Novaya Gazeta”). Any decision made by Medvedev which is perceived as something that Putin could have done is viewed as a confirmation of the theory that Medvedev is not in control since it leaves the initial theory invariable (August war is a case in hand).

This, of course, is unfair for at least two reasons: a) this approach equivocates between legitimate and illegitimate forms of collaboration between Medvedev and Putin so that even prima facie legitimate forms of collaboration (counsel and protégé) are reduced in public view to coercion and deception; 2) this approach treats Medvedev as not being in control unless he makes decisions that contradict Putin’s perceived policy preferences—a demand that unfairly denies Medvedev the opportunity to make similar to Putin policy choices independently and one that puts him under pressure to break his campaign promise to carry on with Putin’s policies.

In general these types of speculations are a complete mess. They are driven by unfair assumptions, unacceptably vague, and, as a consequence, frequently incoherent. The only reason why they do exist, in my opinion, is because their form allows sufficient flexibility to turn any news into entertainment by interpreting it in any context that reflects the current public mood.

[Dark-Angel25]

Power sharing i'd say.According to the Russian constitution:
-The president sets foreign and defense policy,national security and justice.
-The prime minister: sets economy,finances,social security policy and implements the decision taken by the president.

But given Medvedev's lack of military or secret service background and foreing policy experience,i highly doubt that he doesn't consult Putin on those matters before taking any decision.

[GazB]

But given Medvedev's lack of military or secret service background and foreing policy experience,i highly doubt that he doesn't consult Putin on those matters before taking any decision.

Apart from dictators I doubt there are many leaders that don't discuss matters with those around them. The decisions however are the leaders as they are the ones that are accountable for the results.

[Kilgor]

Russians worried by global crisis
A homeless Russian man sits under a billboard in Moscow on 7 April, 2009
The global financial crisis has left many Russians homeless

A third of Russians polled by the BBC are concerned by falling living standards and financial problems due to the global economic crisis.

Some 30% of those polled said a falling standard of living was the single biggest issue facing the country.

A significant number also mentioned inflation and high prices.

The BBC Russian service poll found that many more Russians believe PM Vladimir Putin holds real power in the country, rather than President Dmitry Medvedev.

Almost twice as many people said Mr Putin was in charge compared to those who thought Mr Medvedev was in control.

And almost 60% of those polled also said they believed Mr Putin, who has already served two terms as president, would return to the post after the next election, due in 2012.

According to the latest official figures almost two million Russians lost their jobs between January and the end of March.

It has been reported that this means unemployment hit almost 12% in March, the worst figure for many years.

This combination of rising unemployment and rising prices is what some analysts believe could lead to unrest unless the situation improves in the near future, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow.

Despite the increasing nervousness about the economic crisis, half of those who responded to the BBC opinion poll agreed that the government was doing all it could to tackle the problem.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8011564.stm



I think that Putin is highlighted in Western media more because he fits the preconceptions of an archetypal Russian leader better, and you can always refer to his KGB past to scare people I wonder if many people were scared of Bush Sr because of his CIA past

[AlexMartin2]

BBC poll? Killgor, I hope you understand how non-representative this poll is :)

Apart from useless liberals I dont think many people in Russia believe that Medvedev dont have real power.