Strategic Posture Review: Russia

Editor's note: This is an updated version of Richard Weitz's "Strategic Posture Review: Russia," published in February 2009.

In light of the imminent return of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency, it is worth revisiting the mixed legacy of his previous eight years in that office and highlighting the significant changes in the regional and global environment that have impacted Russia’s foreign and defense policies in the four years since he left it. Upon assuming office on May 7, 2000, Putin began a major campaign to restore the authority of the Russian presidency, which had waned under the erratic leadership of his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. Putin slowly consolidated his power, relying heavily on his contacts within the former Soviet security forces, many of whom he appointed to the presidential administration as well as to the government bureaucracy and major state-controlled corporations. Under the pretext of fighting terrorism and crime, Putin curbed the power of regional authorities and concentrated political authority in Moscow, while rolling back some civil liberties and media freedoms despite the protests of human rights groups. ...