> A thug like Putin is no foe of imperialism. He's a classic Russian
> imperialist.
Russia successfully defended thousands of its citizens in a limited, efficient and reasonably restrained peacekeeping operation, after a thuggish neighbor killed at least 1,500 of them in an outrageous act of mass murder. That is not imperialism, that is sanity.
Also, Medvedev is in charge of the show. As Prime Minister, Putin handles the day-to-day stuff, because that's his forte - he'd be the first to acknowledge he's always been more of a firefighter than a strategist. But the Russian developmental state, a.k.a. Bearzilla, is evolving very, very fast, and I think Putin realized that Russia needed an overall strategist, someone to set long-term goals and priorities. It's remarkable how so many pundits and observers -- including Russian ones -- consistently underestimate Medvedev. This is someone who ran Gazprom as well as the national projects, and passed the test with flying colors. What's happening now is the emergence of a more complex Russian civil society - a strong President and a capable legislative branch.
-- DRR