The new Premier of Russia, Yevgeny Primakov, has an interesting background prior to holding his most recent position as Foreign Minister. Immediately prior to that he was head of the SVR, the successor to the KGB's First Directorate which deals with foreign affairs. The SVR's headquarters are in a Moscow suburb and the building apparently mimics the design of CIA headquarters in Langley. Prior to that he attracted attention when he was Gorbachev's special envoy to Saddam Hussein just prior to the Gulf War. He is fluent in Arabic and for many years he headed the Oriental Studies Institute. I have in my office a book he wrote in 1981 on Afghanistan when he was in that position. He has also headed IMEMO, the Institute of World Economy and International Relations where his son-in-law still holds a position as an expert on the Japanese economy. Apparently he did not want the position of Premier (who in their right mind would, right now?) but had his arm twisted by the Communists among others. Barkley Rosser
-- Rosser Jr, John Barkley rosserjb at jmu.edu