WORLD STAGE
Russia at home and abroad:
Past successes, future challenges
Page
President Vladimir Putin had the
successful in 2013. What was
slightly smug look of a
particularly striking
man who has had a 2013 produced several was that in a number
good year when he
of foreign policy
foreign policy
was photographed at
encounters,
Russia
successes for
his
annual press
seemed to occupy the
President Putin,
conference on19
moral high ground,
December.
Forbes
compared with the
increasing Russia’s
had recently listed him
positions taken by
prominence on the
the most powerful
most
Western
international stage. At leaders. It was also
man of 2013. The
performance of the
that
home, the Volgograd remarkable
Russian economy has
Russia‘s
public
suicide attacks
been mediocre, so it
relations
machine
brought the year to a
was clearly Putin‘s
which, in the past,
sad and worrying
foreign policy that
has
so
often
impressed
undermined Putin‘s
conclusion.
Forbes.
Russian
foreign
policy,
foreign policy was, indeed, very
seemed far more skilful in 2013.
22
Margot Light*