Mostly Harmless

Russia is set to benefit from a new leader whose pledge to extend the country’s civil and economic freedoms will undoubtedly come as a breath of fresh air, and not a moment too soon. Dmitry Medvedev promises to throw off the archaic economic and civil restrictions more suited to medieval times. “Human rights and freedoms … are deemed of the highest value for our society,” he said at a lavish inauguration ceremony in the Kremlin. Mr Medvedev took over from Vladimir Putin, becoming Russia’s third leader since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Medvedev won a landslide victory in the polls, and Wednesday’s inauguration capped his sharp ascendance from obscurity.

The fulfillment of his promises will prove a challenge, however, for a country still recovering from the pre-1989 repressive communist regime; perhaps even more so because of the international perception of Russia as an undemocratic and politically backward society.

The new leader is expected to take up his post as early as Thursday, and this particular commentator suspects that, for the next few months, all eyes will be on Russia.

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