Having contact with your website for quite some time, I have learned that there is a new Russia emerging. Once the "BEAR" fully understand the free-market principles ----- The sky is the limit. Russia will be a force to behold (peacefully of course). Joecool

Pretty good article, Peter. But, you know, it isn't those with good ideas that end up making the most difference. It is those who can implement their good ideas. The real test for Medvedev is whether he can implement his vision for Russia. I doubt he can do it in the time he has in office. But, the whole world will benefit if he does. Medvedev does get better reviews by the "mainstream press" than Putin.. perhaps based on style, and Putin has some prior baggage that tends to taint his image in the West, rightly or wrongly.

Peter, We are blessed to have two eloquent forward thinking leaders at the same time. I have never seen this before in my life and I am 52 years old. All the best. Gene H., San Francisco

Peter, I think Russia has much to be proud of with both Vladamir Putin and Mr, Medvedev. I smiled when I read that Mr. Putin started staring at the ceiling when your President went over his planned 90 minute speech. I sometimes keep talking when I shouldn't. My mom just says, "Eugene, I'm tired now. Call me tomorrow". Gene H., San Francisco

We will know that Medvedev’s and Putin’s attitudes have “evolved”, as Peter puts it, when they stop being afraid of Russia’s own history. Indications of this will be when (1) Medvedev repeals the ridiculous historical truth commission law that was recently enacted (even Peter criticised that commission in one of his blogs); (2) When Putin, in consideration of the spontaneous and deep rejoicing of Russia’s neighbours at the collapse of the Soviet Union who viewed it as a blessed liberation, repeals his anguished statement that the Soviet collapse was the 20th Centuries greatest geopolitical calamity; (3) When both stop repeating the nonsense that Russia’s three Baltic neighbours willingly committed synchronised national suicide in 1940, supposedly joined Stalin’s Soviet Union freely and legally and that there therefore, contrary to the experience of millions of Balts themselves, there never even was a Soviet occupation of the Baltic states; (4) And when restrictions to accessing Stalin-era archives are lifted. A further sign that Russia’s attitudes are evolving might also be seen in a refusal to decorate further subway stations’ walls with Stalin quotes, and removing the one that already shames one Moscow station. Until all the above happens, Medvedev, Putin and Russia along with them cannot really be said to be evolving, but rather, retrogressing.

Peter, your defense of your leadership is unwarranted, they really do speak for themselves and outshine other “leaders”. When I juxtapose Medvedev and Putin to say Obama’s Tokyo speech, its chalk and cheese. What I think everyone is noticing is that they are real leaders, and that seems to be the exception to the rule. Obama’s colorful rhetoric stinks of colonial puppetry, a fascist-banking stooge saying, if you let us give you our monopoly money and steal your wealth, we will all live in peace with “democracy”. No matter what you may think of Medvedev and Putin, they are real leaders, and that is why Russia will prosper. Only thing that makes me hesitate on Obama is that I think his replacement will most definitely be Hitler II. I don’t blame Obama the man, I don’t think he is evil, the man is actually going gray before our eyes, I don’t think any US president can survive the fascist banking system that controls the USA. The whole USA presidency is puffery in a FED dictatorship. What really bothers me is that the USA really needed a strong Putin like president, and I don’t think Obama is the one. I think that leaves this planet of ours in a very dangerous place, so I say, thank god for Putin and Medvedev, without strong men of good character in Russia, I think we would already all be at war.

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As a non Russian, I can only say that Russians should be really happy with direction and mental state of their current leaders (Medvedev, Putin). It is clear that they are doing moves that improve stability and global position of Russia, and because of that, they are under constant fire from "democratic" countries (which would be more than happy to see some of the previous disastrous "rulers" in charge, like Boris Yeltsin or Gorbachov). All that I can say to Russians is that you really don't have any option that is near as good as current one, and don't be fooled by smooth talk of "democratic" leaders from the west, because, their goal is certainly not the strong and prosperous Russia. I wish that in my country (Serbia) we had the force which would guide us in direction which benefits our own interests and people. Instead we have corrupted puppet regime, a so called "democratic" regime. In reality, they are just the managers of the west, set to do whatever they are told to - while serving the rest of population cheap PR talk about the "prosperity". The truth is that they are keeping themselves afloat by taking huge credits in the name of the Serbian people (making us dependent/slaves) and stealing/selling everything they can for the good of their own and the western proteges. My word to Russians is to keep what you have (and be really happy about it), since if you don't, you might end walking the same path as the Serbia and other puppet countries in this region. And that is not the road of prosperity and well-being of the nation.

Yes, Peter, I think it's clear to anyone with brains that Medvedev's way is just a continuation of Putin's. In addition, the reason why western media so much favours Medvedev is the same reason why Russians still favour Putin a bit more: check their ratings. Medvedev's chalenges are great, no doubt, but he has direction and order onto which to step. Putin had neither; he had to create them out of total chaos and it takes person of incredible will power and dedication to undertake this task, and to succeed - success which the neocons in UK and the US cannot forgive him for, and expressing this in a twisted manner by showing how great Medvedev is: read, how different from Putin. Comical, but true. BR Aleks

"...every thing Medvedev said about reform in Russia started under Putin". To be fair, Peter, the reforms have been started by Gorbachev. And, I think, the process which he initiated was not really interrupted since then (not necessarily moving forward). Russia goes from stage to stage in this process, taking different forms, moving back and forth, being better controlled or uncontrolled, bumping to the road blocks or speeding up. In the attempt to find a solution which works. It seems to me, that Medvedev himself (like me) is a product of that "perestroika" and "glasnost" times. And he mentally relates to Gorbachev more than to Putin. Though, he is more pragmatic than Gorbachev and, therefore, may seem more harsh. This is my observations and initial conclusion which I came to after following his speeches for the last half a year (where he stated to expose himself more and more). We are the same generation with him. I found a lot of commons between our visions on Russia and the world. And I perfectly understand things he is talking about. And I understand those problems he is dealing with in his desire to navigate the country to better future. With that said, though, I believe, Peter, that your message was a response to those attempts the goal of which is to separate Putin and Medvedev and put a distinctive line between them. To picture this tandem as "union by necessity" rather than as a union of two individuals sharing the same goals and visions. Current Russia, with its new stage of development, needs Medvedev. But, Medevedev needs Putin more than ever. Because, this is Putin who consolidates Russia. This is Putin, who is that gravitational force holding everything together. But, Putin is too Russia-centric and therefore he scares everyone outside of Russia. Russia seems more attractive when it is presented by Medvedev. And Russia desperately need this new image -- to build more dynamic relationships with the rest of the world. Especially now, when the US is getting serious about its partnership with the Asian countries.

To be honest I think China has been doing the best job of any government investing in infrastructure projects, actively seeking trade and development ties in Africa and elsewhere and they are probably the ones that initiated Siberian-Chinese development co-operation plan but are burden by a) a mass population and export goods market dependent economy and b) to an extent Communist system but if they did dissolve the country would most likely fracture and break apart with US and others pushing Uigher separatists in Xinjing. RAND corporation draft policy for the region in 98 called “the Xinjiang Project” which was revised in 2003 called “the Xinjiang Problem” detailing the regions importance in encircling China. @Marzipan6 Maybe if they stopped using it as a political tool like this regime in Ukraine you could have real discussion on the matter although you would have us ignore the crux of power of the USSR. How many leaders of the USSR were Russian? One and that was Gorbacheav when the system was collapsing anyway. (1) WW2 laws are stricter in countries in Europe where even there lawyer is put in prison. Germany recently fined Bishop Williamson. (2) No he didn't and I mentioned this before what his actually statement was about what he was actually talking about. (3) Will there be an admission that the 1917 was a coup? Will Solzhenitsyn book 200 Years Together publishing ban by the SWC be lifted for publication in Europe and the US? (4) When will Britain and the US fully open up there archives? Let’s start at the beginning and get all the banking firms that are still involved in finance and politics today like Chase Manhattan to open up there financial records with there dealing with installing then trade and financing with the Communist regime. If you want to know the truth, follow the money.

Peter, thank you once again for your writing. It is a great help for Westerners, and I hope also for Russians, to understand many things. About Mevedev and Putin. I keep saying it because it seems so glaringly obvious to me, that these two men, and also Foreign Minister Lavrov, just look a thousand times better than any Western politician I can think of. They all really do care about Russia and the Russian people. They are not phony about "protecting the American people" ala George Bush, which only fools were fooled by. He certainly did not and does not care at all for any people of any kind at all, certainly not the Americans! As for Phony Tony - I do not need to go into what kind of a liar and thief he is, as is Brown. It is best I say nothing about the new person in the White House, except I did not realize just how much more frightening things could be. I really did think Bush was the end of everything decent in politics - until this. These Russian leaders are not liars and thieves. They are, to my eyes, decent, truthful, strong and very human. They all actually seem to have functioning hearts as real, ordinary, and HUMAN beings, should have. I admire them all very much, especially Putin because he is so direct. Therefore, I have hope that Russia will be more and more open and truthful about the pasta seventy or so years. After all, Stalin, the monster, was NOT RUSSIAN. He was a Georgian Jew. One of his sidekicks and even more horrible from what I have read (from articles about Solzenytsin's last book called "Two Hundred Years Together." called Kaganovich, also NOT RUSSIAN at all,l but a Jew. (Most of them changed theri names in order to seem to be actual Russians. For instance, Kruschev's real name was something like Mittlebaum!) Kaganovich was a the architect and manager of the terrible, cruel and barbaric Gulag - and he seems to have loved it. He also had a lot to do with the starvation of millions (some say 22 million!) Ukrainians, the deliberate and systematic theft of their food so that they died in their millions. What KIND of creatures were these. Russia has to face up to all that - and look into it thoroughly and carefully 0 forgivnign teh past but not burying it so that it festers and poisons their future. I do not know how the people will be able to handle it. I have heard that Russian lost27 million people in the Great Patriotic War. They will have to have tremendous moral courage to face up to how that all happened. I do not know how it can be done, but I do think that these three men are so honest and good that they will not allow lies to continue forever. Russia needs to make friends with all her neighbours. I sincerely hope she does because I believe that the future is with Russia. At least you can still say what you like there. In the West you are not allowed to criticise Jews and homosexuals nor even ask questions about the "holocaust". There have been reports about people in Britain and Europe being imprisoned for using the word homosexual. It seems it is now mandatory to call them "gay"! Free speech is no longer in Britain. I saw the film called Katyn recently and I hope many Russians will see it. It was Stalin who had 20 thousand of the best and brightest of Poles murdered at the edge of mass graves in the fores of Katyn - NOT the Germans. For sixty plus years the World has been lied to and told that that horrible and disgraceful mass murder was the disgusting work of the Germans.

ps. I want to see Russia on good terms with all her neighbours. It would be good to see the Ukraine with Russia and turned away from those who are trying to foment war. By the way, that is what the Dalai Lama does all the time. He spends all his time flying around the world creating strife and friction by insulting China! It is amazing to see this so called "humble Buddhist monk" with his "famous giggle" constantly causing trouble for China, constantly helping to keep things unstable and tense, always on the verge of WAR. There are many noble and holy Tibetan lamas - but he is a poor puppet of the CIA. China cannot, even is she wanted to. leave Tibet, which has always been part of China - if China was so crazy as to leave Tibet guess who would move in with alacrity and heavy equipment! Besides, the Dalai Lama is actually ethnically Chinese and not Tibetan at all, according to a book called "Tibet, Tibet." by Patrick French who was once the manager of the most important fund raising and political organizations for the Tibetans in India. He resigned. Sad to discover this sort of thing. Sad to see so many people in the World just played with like poor fools, manipulated and used, and to see Buddhism so dishonored is horrible.

I think Mr.Medvedev should stop making harsh comments on the past rule by Mr.Putin, because the Russia in the 1990s is absolutely different from the Russia today. Can he run a country on the brink of collapse back then? The Western media always sing high praises for his speeches, for his decisions, or whatever, to intentionally create a chasm between him and Mr. Putin. I am nonRussian, so I don't know whether those media reports are reliable or not, but IMHO, the so-called Modernization or Innovations are not at all new ideas to the Russian people as well as to the rest of the world. Why did the home/foreign press make a fuss over Mr. Medvedev's state-of-the-nation address, then? I highly doubt Mr. Medvedev's capability of achieving all these goals without Mr.Putin's great support and the whole nation's hard work. If Russians do aspire for a much stronger and much wealthier nation, they'd better study carefully and completely What Makes Japan a Successful Economic Giant, and then, work much much harder than before.

It looks to me that under Medvedev Russia is becoming US satellite state. I do not think that Medvedev understands and can see the greater picture. His support for US occupation of Afghanistan is a grave concern. And now he appears to be ganging up together with the evil against Iran. Russia is losing reputation.

I read an article, I’m sure it was American, where they said many in Congress are not fooled by Putin and Medvedev’s Good Cop/Bad Cop routine. I found it rather interesting. For instance, Medvedev is very hostile towards Ukraine, while Putin has excellent relations with Tymoshenko. And he’s relatively hostile towards Belarus, while again Putin has no issues. And while Putin won’t tolerate anything bad about Iran, Medvedev is more approachable for the West, mainly because he’s willing to talk about Iran. So, it could be, that they figure between the 2 of them, they can run the country for years to come, simply because 1 allows accommodates the people the other won’t accommodate, and vice versa. And I agree completely with the post regarding the Dalai Lama, that man is the ultimate CIA agent. And that Uighur woman, her own children accuse her of working for the CIA. China’s approach to world problems is precisely the reason why they are destined to rule the world.

To Astrea, who believes the Dalai Lama “spends all his time flying around the world creating strife and friction by insulting China!” The Dalai Lama represents a culture that, thanks to China’s invasion and occupation, is dying. Once Tibetan culture dies, Tibetan ethnicity will become as significant as the ethnicity of some Italian who might trace his ancestry back to a Roman centurion – in other words, it will be meaningless. There is only a limited window of time available in which the decline and destruction of Tibetan culture, and therefore of Tibetan identity, can be reversed – a time will come when it will be too late, and Tibet as a unique land and people will be destroyed forever. For the world this will be an impoverishment – but Tibetans themselves it will be a calamity. Naturally enough, the Dalai Lama tries to avert this. As far as I am aware, from what I have seen and read of him, the Dalai Lama does this not by insulting China, but by trying to work with China, moderately and reasonably. Since China refuses direct negotiations, he tries to talk to China from abroad, and of course, China does hear what he says from there. But aggressors usually have a very fraught and on-edge conscience, and in the context of Tibet, China is absolutely an aggressor. To an aggressor, even a ship in a bottle might be deemed to be insulting if it in any way tries to allude to the aggression. Unfortunately it is not possible to save Tibet from cultural and eventually national destruction if the direct implications of Chinese aggression are not alleviated. To China, this is insulting. For pretty much the same psychological dynamics Moscow to this day feels insulted when Eastern Europeans tell it that the Red Army won victory over the Nazis all right but did not liberate them, merely exchanged one totalitarian oppression for another.

The minds of Americans are pretty messed up these days. The latest movie -- "2012" -- says everything about what many of them (at least, those whom I see around) think about their country and their leaders these days... I want to point out, that this movie is a mainstream (epic) Hollywood picture. Stupid as usual -- something like new version of the old movie "Armageddon". But, I guess, it "represents" (targets) the mentality of an "average" American 2009. (Note, that, I personally, think that Americans are much smarter than presented by the mainstream media). Now, the movie and its political contents... "The world is about to be destroyed. And the American leaders choose to hide this fact from their own people. But, they (similar to leaders of other countries) secretly started preparation for their own escape -- building the ships (Noah's Arks) in the Tibet mountain region of .... China!? The country were, I guess, salvation lies and, seems, the only one which is capable of building something on the grand scale today... When the disaster strikes, the US government takes the Air Force One and flies to China leaving people on their own. In the desperate attempts to save themselves, regular Americans (presented in the movie by a young family) find rich Russians (I could not recognize the dialect of Russian language they use) who are willing to take Americans (due to their knowledge and skills, which Russians need for the trip) and fly to China on the old Russian plane. But, the plane crashes in the vicinity of the desired destination and, now both Americans and Russians find themselves in the mercy of Chinese... After worst days are over, the survivors are moving to their new Home -- Africa..." What strikes me in this movie -- more humble attitude exhibited by Americans. a) No more they presented as leaders of the world who dictate others what to do. But, rather as an equal member of the world community. From totally about dozen ships, the American one has number 4. I am wondering whom number 1, 2, and 3 belong? I guess, #1 is Chinese ship. b) Americans do not believe that they are capable to save themselves without others (read: Chinese). This is really big change. And it is little bit shocking for me. I couldn't expect, that it may happen so soon... ------- To Marzipan6. While I am not going to argue with you about the fact that big countries and nations tend to dissolve the ethnicity and cultures of small national groups (not necessarily, in the hostile way), I am wondering, why do you think that this is applicable only to Russia and China? I don't remember you ever mentioned that countries like the US or Britain do the same. In fact, I think, they do it on much bigger scale.

At least the ethnic minorities are still alive in Russia and China. US slaughetered the Red Indians. Or doesn't this bother you Marzipan?