THE WAR IN IRAQ AND THE MYTH OF PUTIN
Publication: Russia and Eurasia Review Volume: 2 Issue: 8
By:
The war in Iraq has had a strong impact on the domestic politics of many countries, including Russia. Its influence can be seen, for example, in the postponement of Vladimir Putin’s annual address to the Federal Assembly; in the demarche of the left and Zhirinovskyites in the State Duma; and in the latter’s refusal to debate ratification of the Strategic Offensive Weapons Agreement. The war has also driven discussion of the referendum on Chechnya and attendant hopes for peaceful resolution of the conflict back into the political shadows.
These developments are particularly important given the approaching parliamentary and presidential elections, which in Russia are the main political battles of the four-year cycle.
