My turn now yours

No surprises then as Vladimir Putin accepts Dmitry Medvedev's proposal to run for the presidency of Russia in 2012.

The announcement will not have provided any shocks in Russia's murky political world.The consensus was always that Medvedev was simply keeping the seat warm for his boss whilst forced to stand aside in 2008 after standing for the maximum of eight years.

The two have a stranglehold on the country’s politics and it is highly unlikely that next year's election will throw up a credible alternative to the regime.

Whilst Medvedev has been the liberal, progressive face of the Russian government over the past four years,the return of Putin to the top job may well see the country taking a more nationalistic line.

The change in constitution in the country which extends the presidential term to six years could see Putin remain in power until 2024.

What are Russia's concerns

Watching President Medvedev's interview with Bridget Kendall on the BBC last night and seeing his comment piece in this morning's Ft,it is pretty clear that whatever the motivations behind the conflict,Russia will not be stepping back.The incense of justice that the Russian's have over the treatment of people that they feel an affinity to through race is overwhelming.

Last night Medvedev spoke of 17 years of injustice and the genocide being threatened by the Georgians that led to the intervention

Can you imagine what it was like for the Abkhaz people to have their university in Sukhumi closed down by the Tbilisi government on the grounds that they allegedly had no proper language or history or culture and so did not need a university? The newly independent Georgia inflicted a vicious war on its minority nations, displacing thousands of people and sowing seeds of discontent that could only grow. These were tinderboxes, right on Russia’s doorstep, which Russian peacekeepers strove to keep from igniting.

he says in the FT.

Of course what we are not clear about is whether this policy extends to other displaced Russian people.If it does then the countries of Ukraine,Belarus and Estonia need to be on their guard.

A new cold war? I don't think we are at that point but the West must work with Russia to solve its problems and concerns.Sending Dick Cheney to the Black Sea is not the solution.It threatens a military intervention that can never happen.Similarly David Miliband's trip to Kiev is simply going to provide greater provocation to the Russian federation.

Medvedev is sexed up

As Dmitry Medvedev assumes the Russian presidency and Vladimir Putin continues to exert his influence on the direction of Russian politics

The Moscow Times carries a rather humerous report that

someone seems to be trying to turn Dmitry Medvedev into a sex symbol.
In a clip that has been drawing attention on the Internet, a curvy young brunette declares her love and passion for the recently inaugurated president, in a dubbed and altered version of a prank video originally focusing on U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The video opens with

a then-candidate Medvedev promising a United Russia party congress that he would cooperate with former-President Vladimir Putin and, if elected, be true to Putin's policies.
But the busty young woman in the video — clad in a tight T-shirt with a Medvedev portrait that does a fair bit of moving around, is devoted only to the new president.
"You came into politics together with Putin," she sings breathlessly (and obviously dubbed) in Russian, while staring longingly at the new leader. "I didn't want anyone else as much as I want you. … I need to be sexy and cool with you. I've got a crush on a bear."