Word: yeltsin
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Putin's second swing through Europe in as many weeks, for example, forms part of an effort to outflank Washington in the showdown over missile defense. Where Boris Yeltsin may have contented himself to growl and grumble over a U.S. military initiative deemed inimical to Russian interests, Putin is fighting back vigorously and raising a few eyebrows in Washington. Indeed, he's managed to turn some key European NATO members against Washington's proposed National Missile Defense system by convincing them it could spark a dangerous new arms race; now he plans to head for North Korea next month, partly...
Even under the June sunshine, Bill Clinton found Moscow a little chilly for his liking. The Yeltsin years got the U.S. president accustomed to dealing with a Russian leader as pliant as a puppy so long as his begging bowl was filled, but Sunday's summit with just-anointed President Vladimir Putin saw Mr. Clinton facing a Russian leader less prone to accommodating Western concerns. And on the key issue of missile defense, President Putin holds the cards that can make life a little uncomfortable for the U.S. leader. "President Clinton needs a deal on missile defense far more than...
...while the former KGB officer speaks of democracy, he also talks in the same breath about strengthening the state; and although he says he will move decisively to get Russian capitalism up and running, he also looks set to expand state involvement in the economy. And while Boris Yeltsin's designated heir hailed his ascent as the first democratic transfer of power in Russia's 1,100-year history, winning in a landslide without declaring one's agenda suggests Russian democracy...
...Though more is set to be revealed in a domestic-policy address to the Duma on Wednesday, it's far from clear whether Putin will protect the interests of the oligarchs who got rich off Yeltsin's reforms and then bought their way into his inner circle. Putin is expected to strengthen tax collection, which may not please the money men who signed off on his rise to power, but the extent to which he'll challenge their grip on political and economic power remains an open question. The think tank preparing his economic package is composed mostly of highly...
...most profound difference between the Yeltsin and Putin eras, however, may be in the way post-communist Russia relates to the West. Where Yeltsin tendered the begging bowl and was prepared to mortgage Moscow's big-power status to secure financial bailouts, Putin has drawn a line in the sand. His vision may be capitalist, but the new president's security doctrine suggests a more hostile or competitive relationship with the West than his predecessor's. And with Washington currently seized with enthusiasm for missile defense, that may even translate into a new nuclear arms race. Clinton-era conventional wisdom...