Passport

Putin’s heir apparent wows in Davos

JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images One of the more interesting stories to come out of the Davos gnosh-fest this year was the charm offensive put on by Russia—and the fawning reception it met with from the world’s business leaders. In years past, Putin’s capos have avoided the cold mountain retreat, perhaps because the weather wasn’t sufficiently different ...

By
604437_medvedev2_05.jpg
604437_medvedev2_05.jpg

JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images

One of the more interesting stories to come out of the Davos gnosh-fest this year was the charm offensive put on by Russia—and the fawning reception it met with from the world’s business leaders. In years past, Putin’s capos have avoided the cold mountain retreat, perhaps because the weather wasn’t sufficiently different from that in Moscow.  This year, however, a high-powered delegation attended, headed by a man whose name you’ll be hearing more and more from now on: Dmitri Medvedev.

By most accounts, the suave young first deputy prime minister and Gazprom chairman did a fine job of defending Russia’s economic record. He pledged his country’s support for democracy (albeit “without unnecessary supplemental definitions”) and argued that the ex-superpower is behaving responsibly on the world stage. Medvedev’s remarks were filled with characteristic Russian warmth; as he put it, “we are not trying to push anyone to love Russia, but we will not allow anyone to hurt Russia.” The charismatic Medvedev seemed successful in deflecting media attention, at least for now, from the dominant story lines of growing authoritarianism in the country and its use of energy supplies as a diplomatic weapon.

Medvedev’s appearance was interesting for another reason: Many have him pegged as Putin’s likely successor in 2008. To see who his competition is, and what the stakes are for Russia and the world, take a look at this week’s List. In a web exclusive for FP, Moscow-based journalist Julian Evans gives a run-down of the leading candidates.

Tags: Davos World Economic Forum, Energy Policy, Europe, Russia

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Last Big Weapon on Ukraine’s Wish List
  2. 2
    How Erdogan’s Supporters Are Thinking About the Runoffs
  3. 3
    A BRICS Currency Could Shake the Dollar’s Dominance
  4. 4
    Machiavelli Preferred Democracy to Tyranny

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.