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Putin: Out of the Fire, Into the Fire By Victor Gubareff and Marla Dial U.S. President George W. Bush wrapped up a fairly uneventful diplomatic tour of Europe on Feb. 24 with a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava. For days, we have been brushing past discussions of Bush's meetings with other European leaders, focusing keenly on what could come out of the Slovakia sessions -- a tete a tete between important world leaders who find themselves on opposite sides of a widening geopolitical divide. The public discourse, of course, revealed no sign of tensions. Both spoke affably and utterly predictably about the friendship between their nations, as well as specific points of agreement -- such as the need to cooperate on fighting illicit trade in man-portable air defense systems and shared views on nuclear nonproliferation. Beneath these diplomatic niceties, however, lies a very real predicament -- particularly for Putin, who is finding himself increasingly beset by difficulties at home. It is no secret, particularly to the Russians, that the United States has been making firm and steady inroads into Moscow's traditional sphere of influence, with pro-Western governments now installed in states such as Georgia and Ukraine. And if that were not enough to light a few nationalist fires, Russian news media on Feb. 24 carried two important stories -- one noting rising unemployment, the other chronicling a dependence on consumer imports that experts said is hampering Russia's own economic development. Foreign influence encroaches. On an even more personal level, Putin in recent months reportedly has been blasted by former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov as a controlling leader who now tolerates no dissent within his inner circle, and -- significantly -- he was the target of a Feb. 23 protest by active and retired military officers who demanded steps to stem the collapse of the Russian military and NATO encroachment within the region. Against that backdrop, Putin met with Bush, who he knew could be counted on to broach the subjects of Russia's nuclear arsenal and approach to democracy -- both wild cards that, if not carefully handled, could make him even more vilified as a U.S. lapdog than he already is at home. On some levels, a strong rebuff of Bush would have been in Putin's best interests -- but the prospect of being viewed as a hostile state by Washington, which already is eyeing a number of potential challenges in the Eurasian landmass, was a risky proposition as well. Russian sources close to the matter have told us that when Bush, in private talks, suggested a joint monitoring program for Russia's active nuclear weapons, Putin essentially responded that to agree would result in him being burned at the stake in Red Square. Bush then asked for an agreement in principle -- or, in other words, he gave Putin the choice of being burned whilst doused in gasoline or being slow-cooked, using only tender green saplings for kindling. In either case, an agreement would be viewed by the Russians as a way of ceding sovereign powers to Washington. Ultimately, Putin took the only out he could -- asking for more time to give Bush an answer (during which, we suspect, he will cast about for flame retardants). Discussions of democracy have been more publicly exchanged: Bush earlier this week restated his foreign policy goals, which take a critical view of freedoms in Russia; Putin responded separately that Russia would achieve democracy on its own terms. During their joint press conference, Putin (who we believe favors democracy along Ataturkian lines -- a long-term transition over which he solely will preside) tried to gloss over the differences, speaking primarily of "fundamental principles" rather than tactical steps. "There are great differences between Russia and the U.S." in practice, he said. "If we talk about where we have more or where we have less democracy, is not the right thing to do, but if we talk about how the fundamental principles of democracy are implemented in this or that historical soil, in this or that country -- is an option, is possible." Though Putin did appear to make a subtle overture to the Russian people -- emphasizing that democracy "should not be accompanied by the collapse of the state and the impoverishment of the people" (a reference to rampant corruption to which he has been accused of turning a blind eye) -- he ultimately jettisoned a very public opportunity to portray himself as a strong leader who can appeal to Russians concerned about their national security and cultural identity. Putin, increasingly pressured to choose between U.S. or Russian interests, has deferred the verdict to an unspecified later date. In other words, he remains tied to the stake, and the torch-throwers are lining up. ------------------------ Yahoo! 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