Continuity of policy and stability have been the mantras of the Russian leadership both in December’s parliamentary elections and in the presidential election that predictably endorsed Dmitry Medvedev as Vladimir Putin’s successor in March.
Although Medvedev, who assumes power on May 7, has not so far engaged in the sharp anti-Western and anti-U.S. rhetoric heard from Putin in recent months, Medvedev’s virtual silence on foreign policy since his nomination last December suggests that Putin will continue to play the leading role in this area, at least for the time being.
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