TOL: Moscow’s Power Divide
The Georgian crisis shows that an emergent force could sideline both Medvedev and Putin.
WASHINGTON | Dmitry Medvedev inherited the post of president of the Russian Federation from Vladimir Putin, and while Putin moved down the pecking order and became prime minister, there has been a great deal of speculation about an eventual split between Russia’s two highest leaders.
The first days of the conflict in Georgia have challenged this hypothesis. Putin and Medvedev worked in perfect tandem, cooperating and skillfully performing their different roles. As it now seems, Putin played the leading role of menacing god of Russian reckoning between 8 and 11 August, while Medvedev took the part of could-be humanitarian peacemaker from 12 August and beyond.
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