The highly uncertain pattern of power-sharing in the duumvirate will inevitably cause more serious zigzags in Russia's foreign policy than the veto in the UN Security Council on the Zimbabwe resolution.
There were hardly any leaks about the preparation of a new Foreign Policy Concept in the Kremlin and certainly no debates on the drafts, so President Dmitry Medvedev achieved a complete surprise unveiling this key document at the special meeting with Russian ambassadors this week.
Medvedev's smooth words on democracy and human rights remain in conflict not only with such features of the present-day system of power as structural corruption and bureaucratic omnipotence, but also with the strong political tradition of authoritarianism that Putin has cultivated and continues to ride upon. For that matter, the new concept ascribes a stronger role to the government in implementing foreign policy, so Putin is not going to let his chosen successor to play solo on this stage.
