Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Sergei Borisovich Ivanov


Who? Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

The Dossier on Putin's Clone: A FORMER KGB spy who studied in London, became a lifelong fan of the Beatles and speaks fluent English is being tipped to succeed Vladimir Putin as president of Russia.

He shares Putin’s mistrust of the West and anger at NATO expansion, and is a strong opponent of US plans to install a missile defence shield in Europe. As defence minister, Ivanov drastically increased military spending but opposed army reforms. … “Russia’s next president may turn out to be someone who is not even on our radar, but if Ivanov comes to power, those who are criticizing Putin now may come to miss him,” said a western diplomat. “Behind the worldly facade is a steely hawk - a replica of Putin without the charisma.”

Power is always about getting the desired outcome. Principles have nothing to do with the desire to control for personal gain. Oh by the way, the United States has only one operating uranium enrichment facility so the atomic future is still mostly fueled by seasoned apparatchiks.