The Russian Presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, 2008-2012: The Next Step Forward or Merely a Time Out? PDF
Preview The Russian Presidency of Dmitry Medvedev, 2008-2012: The Next Step Forward or Merely a Time Out?
The Russian Presidency of Dmitry – Medvedev, 2008 12 The term ‘Tandem’ was used to describe the Putin–Medvedev combination that ruled Russia from 2008 to 2012, when Medvedev was president and Putin prime minister. Many people saw Putin as the real wielder of power, with Medvedev as his puppet. Others, however, saw Medvedev as avisionary, someone who envisioned large scale schemes – even though these schemes have not yet come to fruition. At the same time, many in the West regarded Medvedev favourably, and gave him credit for raising expectations among both the elite and the middle classes in Russia in such a way as to make it difficult for the Russian state to return to its old ways. This book presents a comprehensive surveyof the Medvedev presidency, covering all areas including politics, the economy, international relations and social developments. The author concludes that it is still too early to assess Medvedev’s achievements definitively. J. L. Black is the Director of the Centre for Research on Canadian–Russian RelationsatLaurentianUniversityinBarrie,Ontario,andanEmeritusProfessor of Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. Routledge Contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe Series 1 LiberalNationalismin Central 8 TheDevelopment ofCapitalism in Europe Russia StefanAuer SimonClarke 2 Civil-MilitaryRelations inRussia 9 RussianTelevisionToday andEasternEurope Primetimedrama andcomedy DavidJ.Betz DavidMacFadyen 3 TheExtremeNationalistThreat in 10 TheRebuildingofGreater Russia Russia Putin'sforeignpolicytowardsthe ThegrowinginfluenceofWestern CIScountries Rightistideas BertilNygren ThomasParland 11 ARussianFactoryEntersthe 4 EconomicDevelopment in MarketEconomy Tatarstan ClaudioMorrison Globalmarketsanda Russian region LeoMcCann 12 DemocracyBuildingandCivil SocietyinPost-SovietArmenia ArmineIshkanian 5 AdaptingtoRussia'sNewLabour Market Genderandemploymentstrategy 13 NATO-RussiaRelationsinthe EditedbySarahAshwin Twenty-FirstCentury AurelBraun 6 BuildingDemocracyandCivil SocietyEastoftheElbe 14 RussianMilitary Reform EssaysinhonourofEdmund Afailedexerciseindefence Mokrzycki decisionmaking EditedbySvenEliaeson CarolinaVendilPallin 7 TheTelengitsof SouthernSiberia 15 TheMultilateral Dimensionin Landscape,religionandknowledge RussianForeignPolicy inmotion EditedbyElanaWilsonRoweand AgnieszkaHalemba StinaTorjesen 16 RussianNationalismandthe 26 ReligionandLanguagein NationalReassertionofRussia Post-SovietRussia EditedbyMarlèneLaruelle BrianP. Bennett 17 TheCaucasus–AnIntroduction 27 JewishWomenWriters inthe FrederikCoene SovietUnion RinaLapidus 18 RadicalIslamintheFormerSoviet Union 28 ChineseMigrantsinRussia, EditedbyGalinaM.Yemelianova CentralAsiaandEastern Europe 19 Russia'sEuropeanAgenda andthe EditedbyFelixB. Changand BalticStates SunnieT.Rucker-Chang JaninaŠleivyte. 29 Poland'sEUAccession 20 RegionalDevelopment inCentral SergiuszTrzeciak andEasternEurope Developmentprocessesandpolicy 30 TheRussianArmedForcesin challenges Transition EditedbyGrzegorzGorzelak,John Economic,geopolitical and BachtlerandMaciejSme˛tkowski institutionaluncertainties EditedbyRogerN.McDermott, 21 RussiaandEurope BertilNygrenandCarolinaVendil Reachingagreements,digging Pallin trenches KjellEngelbrekt andBertil Nygren 31 TheReligiousFactorinRussia's ForeignPolicy 22 Russia'sSkinheads AlicjaCuranovic´ Exploringandrethinking subculturallives 32 PostcommunistFilm– Russia, HilaryPilkington,Elena EasternEuropeandWorldCulture Omel'chenkoandAl'bina Movingimagesofpostcommunism Garifzianova EditedbyLarsKristensen 23 TheColour Revolutionsinthe 33 RussianMultinationals FormerSoviet Republics Fromregionalsupremacytoglobal Successesandfailures lead EditedbyDonnachaÓBeacháin AndreiPanibratov andAbelPolese 34 RussianAnthropologyAfter the 24 RussianMassMediaandChanging CollapseofCommunism Values EditedbyAlbertBaiburin, EditedbyArjaRosenholm,Kaarle CatrionaKellyandNikolai NordenstrengandElenaTrubina Vakhtin 25 TheHeritageof SovietOriental 35 ThePost-Soviet RussianOrthodox Studies Church EditedbyMichaelKemper and Politics,cultureandGreaterRussia StephanConermann KatjaRichters 36 Lenin'sTerror 46 BusinessinPost-Communist Theideological originsofearly Russia SovietStateviolence Privatisationandthelimitsof JamesRyan transformation MikhailGlazunov 37 LifeinPost-Communist Eastern EuropeafterEUMembership 47 RuralInequalityinDivided EditedbyDonnachaÓBeacháin, Russia VeraSheridanandSabina StephenK.Wegren Stan 48 BusinessLeadersandNew 38 EU–BorderSecurity VarietiesofCapitalism in Challenges,(mis)perceptions,and Post-CommunistEurope responses EditedbyKatharinaBluhm, SergheiGolunov BerndMartensandVera Trappmann 39 PowerandLegitimacy – ChallengesfromRussia EditedbyPer-ArneBodin,Stefan 49 RussianEnergyandSecurity HedlundandElenaNamli upto2030 EditedbySusanneOxenstierna 40 ManagingEthnicDiversity in andVeli-Pekka Tynkkynen Russia EditedbyOlehProtsykand 50 TheInformalPost-Socialist BenediktHarzl Economy Embeddedpracticesand 41 BelievinginRussia –Religious livelihoods PolicyAfter Communism EditedbyJeremyMorrisandAbel GeraldineFagan Polese 42 TheChangingRussianUniversity 51 RussiaandEastAsia Fromstate tomarket Informalandgradualintegration TatianaMaximova-Mentzoni EditedbyTsuneoAkahaandAnna Vassilieva 43 TheTransition toNationalArmies intheFormerSovietRepublics, 1988–2005 52 TheMaking ofModernGeorgia, 1918–2012 JessePaulLehrke ThefirstGeorgianRepublicand itssuccessors 44 TheFalloftheIronCurtainand EditedbyStephenF.Jones theCultureof Europe PeterI.Barta 53 DigitalRussia 45 RussiaAfter2012 Thelanguage,cultureand FromPutin toMedvedev to politicsofnewmedia Putin–continuity,change,or communication revolution? EditedbyMichaelS.Gorham, EditedbyJ.L.BlackandMichael IngunnLundeandMartin Johns Paulsen 54 EasternChristianityandPoliticsin 56 ChechnyaatWarandBeyond theTwenty-First Century EditedbyAnneLeHuérou,Aude EditedbyLucianN.Leustean Merlin,AmandineRegameyand ElisabethSieca-Kozlowski 55 PunkinRussia 57 TheRussianPresidencyofDmitry Culturalmutationfromthe Medvedev,2008–12 ‘useless’tothe‘moronic’ Thenextstep forwardor merelya IvanGololobov,Hilary Pilkington timeout? andYngvarB. Steinholt J.L.Black ‘Larry Black’s excellent book convincingly demonstrates that Dmitry Medvedev was much more than Vladimir Putin’s alter ego, contrary to what was often said in the Western press. It unquestionably helps us to understand why the announcement of his departure in favour of Putin’s return to the presidency in the fall of 2011 led to the largest mass demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg since the end of the USSR. Larry Black shows how andwhy many significant moves introduced by Medvedev, to modernize the economy, to reinforce the rule of law and cope with endemic corruption, did generate high hopes in Russia’s new urban middle class for much needed changes. Even if the strong relationship based on personal trust and loyalty betweenthetwoleadersallowedforMedvedev’sreplacement aspresidentand the partial reversal of many of his initiatives, Black is convinced many of these are bound to revive, one wayor the other.’ Jacques Lévesque, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada ‘ThisinformativeandlucidstudyofRussiabetween2008and2012detailsthe challenges that confronted the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev in his efforts to modernize the economic, political, and social life of that vast territory. Larry Black offers much in this account of the four-year Tandem, providing insights not only into domestic developments but also into Russia’s relations with neighbouring countries and the West.’ Serge Cipko, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Canada ‘As the Medvedev presidency is receding into history, it continues to puzzle observers of Russian affairs. By providing the first comprehensive account of that period, Larry Black helps us understand the logic of Russia’s continuing political evolution, shaped by a complex and ever-changing arrayof domestic and international factors.’ Sergei Plekhanov, York University, Canada ‘This is a benchmark assessment of an important transition period in the political, economic and social history of modern Russia. It is highly com- mended to scholars and students, as it offers unique apolitical insight into the nature of high politics in Russia, 2008–12. This is an indispensable asset to any serious student of Russia’s modern progress to finding its place in the world.’ Roger McDermott, Affiliated Senior Analyst, Danish Institute for International Studies, Copenhagen The Russian Presidency of – Dmitry Medvedev, 2008 12 The next step forward or merely a time out? J. L. Black RO Routledge U TLED Taylor & Francis Group G E LONDON AND NEW YORK Firstpublished2015 byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN andbyRoutledge 711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017 RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness ©2015J.L.Black TherightofJ.L.Blacktobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen assertedbyhiminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright, DesignsandPatentAct1988. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orin anyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwriting fromthepublishers. Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksor registeredtrademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanation withoutintenttoinfringe. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Black,J.L.(JosephLaurence),1937- TheRussianpresidencyofDmitryMedvedev,2008-2012:thenextstep forwardormerelyatimeout?/J.L.Black. pagescm.--(RoutledgecontemporaryRussiaandEasternEuropeseries;57) Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. 1.Medvedev,D.A.(DmitriiAnatol’evich)2.Presidents--Russia (Federation)--Biography.3.Politicians--Russia(Federation)--Biography. 4.Russia(Federation)--Politicsandgovernment--1991-5.Russia (Federation)--Foreignrelations.6.Russia(Federation)--Economic conditions--1991-I.Title. DK510.766.M43B532014 947.08603--dc23 2014006350 ISBN:978-1-138-78191-7(hbk) ISBN:978-1-315-76947-9(ebk) TypesetinTimesNewRoman byTaylor&FrancisBooks Contents List of illustrations xi Preface xii Acknowledgements xvii Transliteration and sources xviii Abbreviations and key terms xix Introduction 1 Who was Dmitry Medvedev in 2008? 5 1 The Tandem 11 The presidency and its power base 12 The agenda 15 The Tandem in action 15 The Tandem – frayed 24 Presidential ambitions 26 A momentous decision 29 Presidential election campaign, 2012 32 The aftermath 35 2 The Russian Federation: source of strength and weakness 42 The North Caucasus quicksand 50 3 The political cockpit 62 The legislature 65 Voices outside the legislature 69 The government 72 Preparing for the State Duma election 74 The election campaign 78 The aftermath 79
The list of books you might like
