Pictures!

Foreign Policy has a nice slide show of pictures comparing how Putin and Medvedev (or Vova & Dima) “spent their summer vacation”.  It’s amusing, and the conclusion is an interesting one:

“Judging by the optics of the summer’s PR shots, he [Putin] may be done sharing the spotlight.”

Stumble & Sergei Lavrov

I do not really care about the article attached with this picture, even though I am saving it.  The fun part for me is the picture of Sergei Lavrov that I am saving too.

More Pictures

of “Vova & Dima” from Foreign Policy Online.  This is a great photo essay on the Tandemocracy.  Notice how feminine Dima looks in places (particularly the first photo), but how buff he looks in the pictures taken at Sochi. I particularly like the photo with the caption “Tight”.  My first thought was, ‘I’ll tell you what is tight is that shirt [of Dima’s].’

The essay concludes, “Can the partnership survive?”   The partnership cannot survive because it goes completely against everything the Power Vertical is based upon.  Either Putin must cede power to Medvedev, or Medvedev must maintain a position of inferiority.  There can be no partnership if the Power Vertical is to be maintained.

Fun Photos

in honour of Dmitry Medvedev’s birthday.