Putin Deserves Credit for Russia's Resurgence

Time magazine has named Russian President Vladimir Putin its Person of the Year for 2007. Belfer Center experts Graham Allison and Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan weigh in on his selection.

Graham Allison
Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Having inherited a report card with three "D"s and produced three "A"s, it is not surprising that he has higher favorability ratings among his fellow citizens than any other leader in the world. On Christmas Eve 1999, Yeltsin handed him a country that was (1) disintegrating, (2) suffering from a decade of economic depression, and (3) derided, even humiliated, internationally. Today Russia is stable, prosperous, and respected internationally. His fourth "A" for a more authoritarian Russia, however contrary to Western hopes, is a price most Russians are happy to pay for his performance on the first three.

Brigadier General (ret.) Kevin Ryan
Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Putin deserves great credit for re-establishing stability and order inside Russia and for the largely successful management of Russia's new-found oil wealth. As much as any achievement, Putin's return of national pride to Russians contributes to Russia acting as a predictable and reliable, if not always supportive, partner in international relations. The change has been very visible in dealings with Russian military leaders. In the 1990's Russian officers were searching for new models of training and professional development while they worked part time jobs to pay rent and buy food. Since Putin, those same officers enjoy steady pay and tell American counterparts that they will follow their own unique tradition of leadership and professionalism. To paraphrase General Staff Chief Yuri Baluyevskiy, "Russia no longer has a leg in both the East and the West, but is charting a course that is neither East nor West but Russian."

Russia's resurgence comes at some risk to its long-term development. Since his assumption of duties as president of Russia, Putin has maintained that Russia's number one threat is its own internal economic and social situation. All of his international relations strategies can be understood through the prism of facilitating the construction of a stable and prosperous domestic situation. Internally, Russia's centralization (or "verticalization") of power gives some immediate relief to Russia's backward economy and corrupt government. This policy has been manageable while Russia's economy is still smaller than Portugal's, but it will become more problematic as Russia seeks to expand its economy in the future.

Putin's announced move to Prime Minister will provide him the opportunity to be responsible for seeing his many changes through to success. It is no "golden parachute" job for sure. If he can be successful in getting the government to work effectively, he may become the first ever to repeat as "person of the year."