LIANE HANSEN, host:
Democracy began in Greece about 25 centuries ago and it's still healthy. Democracy began in Russia about 15 years ago and it's not feeling so good.
NPR's senior news analyst Daniel Schorr has these reflections.
DANIEL SCHORR: When I was reporting from Moscow a half century ago, the Soviet Union seemed to be, in the words of Winston Churchill, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Upheavals went on in the Kremlin and we reporters were only dimly aware of them. Stalin's designated heir, Malenkov, was ousted. Khrushchev took power. One coup to unseat Khrushchev failed. Later Khrushchev was toppled for what probably called his harebrained schemes. Around then, a magazine asked me to write an article about how decisions were made in the Kremlin. I cabled(ph) back, beats me.
The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 and it's Russia now. Decisions on who rules Russia are supposed to be reached by open elections. But in what President Vladimir Putin calls a managed democracy, the management is frequently more visible than the democracy.
Take the current situation. Putin was selected to be prime minister in 1999 by then President Boris Yeltsin. That put Putin in line to succeed Yeltsin as president. And he did so less than five months later. Putin brought in with him an inner circle of former comrades from his days in the KGB. Sure enough, somewhat what happens seemed like the old days: Assignations of journalists and opposition figures, control of the media. But Putin cannot rule indefinitely.
Russia's constitution limits the president to two terms, which Putin will have completed next March. So, what does Putin do, he appoints an obscure flunky Viktor Zubkov as prime minister. That put Zubkov in line to run for president next spring. Zubkov said his purpose is to ensure the continuity of Putin's policies, however, it appears that his real purpose is to keep the seat warm for Putin to return to the Kremlin.
You see, the Russian constitution does not bar a two-term president from coming back after skipping a term. Putin and his KGB buddies are giving no signs of preparing for a real transfer of power. And so, there is still no answer to the Russian riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
This is Daniel Schorr.
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