October 25, 2007 :: Analysis
James Hackett provides an analysis of Russia's upcoming elections for the October 25 edition of Peace and Freedom Magazine. Flushed with profits from the re-nationalized oil and gas industries, President Vladimir Putin has improved Russia's military, developing "the Topol-M mobile ballistic missile, the Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missile, a new multiple-warhead missile, a new evading warhead, the S-400 missile interceptor, fifth-generation fighter planes and four new missile-firing submarines." Putin has used Russia's newly empowered military to confront the West.
He has resumed long-range nuclear bomber flights, opposes missile defenses in Europe, claims the North Pole for Russia and suspends cooperation under the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. He also sells air defense missiles to Syria and nuclear technology to Iran, suspends gas and oil shipments to pressure other countries, and threatens both to withdraw from the Intermediate Nuclear forces (INF) treaty and to target NATO countries by basing missiles in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave.
Constitutionally, Putin cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. However, Hackett believes Putin's successor will likely be a subservient non-personality, like the new Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who would serve one four year term, following which Putin could legally return to the Kremlin. Hackett concludes that it is difficult to discern to what degree Putin's anti-Western rhetoric is part of the run-up to the election, or a legitimate reflection of a new dangerous turn for Russia, and it will only become more clear after the Russian Presidential election in Spring 2008. (Article)
» More stories on: Analysis, Russian Missile Defenses
