MOSCOW – President Dmitry Medvedev urged a new generation of Russians to help modernize the country as the 44-year-old leader departs from the oil-fueled nationalism of his predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
“In place of an archaic society where the leader thinks and decides for all, we will become a society of smart, free and responsible people,” Medvedev said in his annual state-of-the-nation speech in the Kremlin today.
Medvedev, handpicked by Putin to run in last year’s elections, is staking out his own political agenda amid Russia’s worst economic crisis in a decade. His modernization plan targets the oil-based economy, corruption and a lack of initiative inherited from communism. The image he cultivates is one of a globe-trotting leader communicating via the Internet.
“It’s important for Medvedev to establish that he’s not Putin,” said Dmitry Oreshkin, an independent political analyst in Moscow. “The address was a signal that if there aren’t two centers of power, at least there are two centers of values.”
Russia’s survival depends on its ability to modernize, Medvedev said in his speech, attended by Putin, the Cabinet and members of parliament. Pragmatism should govern both domestic and foreign policy, the president said.
‘Higher Level’
“The time has come for today’s generation of Russians to speak up and raise Russia to a new, higher level of civilization,” said Medvedev. “The final outcome of our common actions won’t just be a qualitative change in the living standard of our citizens. We ourselves need to change.”
Medvedev was 26 when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991. Putin, who was 39 at the time and already had a career as a KGB agent behind him, called the collapse of the Soviet Union “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century” in his state-of-the-nation address in 2005.
Today’s economy can’t be based on the industrial achievements of the Soviet Union or oil and gas revenue, the president said. Russia’s future depends on innovation and an open society rooted in democratic institutions, Medvedev said.
In many ways the rhetoric didn’t differ from promises Putin made during his eight-year presidency, said Stanislav Belkovsky, head of the Moscow-based Institute for National Strategy.
Medvedev’s problem is that he lacks the mechanisms to effect change, he said.
Status Quo
“It’s clear the elite isn’t interested in making changes but wants to keep the status quo,” Belkovsky said. “Where is this new generation?”
Medvedev published an online manifesto two months ago, seeking input from ordinary citizens. He peppered his speech with suggestions received from across the country.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed billionaire, answered Medvedev in a commentary in Vedomosti last month. “Generation M,” comprising entrepreneurs, managers, engineers and intellectuals, would be able to fulfill the task of modernization only if given greater political freedoms, he wrote.
Medvedev’s readiness to invite public debate on the country’s future and join the blogosphere contrasts with Putin’s approach of holding marathon press conferences and live televised call-in shows. Putin told Time magazine in 2007 that he had never sent an e-mail.
While Putin still controls the most important levers of power, Oreshkin said, it’s necessary to read between the lines, especially in view of elections in three years. Neither Putin nor Medvedev has ruled out running again.
‘Clear Line’
“If Medvedev’s thinking of 2012, at a minimum he needs to distance himself from Putin as the crisis deepens,” Oreshkin said. “Today he drew a clear line.”
By calling for a more consistent foreign policy, an economic aid package for the violent North Caucasus region and the sale of state-run companies, Medvedev was implicitly criticizing his mentor, Oreshkin said.
“It was a good speech. Now what?” said Masha Lipman, a political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center. “Medvedev needs to give potential allies and supporters a stronger signal than just a speech.”
