Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia in March 2000, after the turbulent years of the Boris Yeltsin administration In addition, he wanted to reverse some of the decentralizing traits of the Yeltsin years, and this meant imposing more Moscow control over the outlying regions through a system of appointed governors He moved against the oligarchs who had profited during the Yeltsin years The crisis following the sinking of the submarine Kursk in August 2000 hurt Putin’s reputation when the government appeared incapable of reacting to the disaster In terms of policy, Putin wanted to restore something of the order and pride that had existed during the Soviet era This meant that some old symbols of state were preserved along with the belief in centralizing control over both the economy and the media Following Putin’s Unity Party landslide victory in the 2003 parliamentary election, it was suggested that control of the state media produced the favorable results On March 14, 2004, Putin won decisively his second term in office He continued his campaign to strengthen state powers There were also improvements in the justice system and reform of the difficult tax laws that inhibited investment and development Some see recent actions as a reflection of the antidemocratic instincts that lurk behind the scenes in Putin’s adminis- Putin, Vladimir 349 tration Putin’s 2004 support of Viktor Yanukovych in the Ukrainian election was viewed by critics as an exercise in undue influence on the affairs of a neighboring independent state In foreign affairs, Putin built positive relationships with much of the West, including the president of the United States, although he opposed the Second Gulf War However, after the events of September 11, 2001, he was generally supportive of U.S action in the War on Terror, including the use of bases in former Soviet Central Asian territories His country’s own campaign against Islamic terror made him a willing ally His provision of nuclear technology and advanced weapons to Iran raised doubts as to his sincerity He also reluctantly accepted the U.S abrogation of the ABM treaty as part of America’s missile defense program Putin cooperated with the enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which now includes former Baltic Soviet Republics bordering Russia Relations with Europe were strengthened by an agreement in 2005 with Germany to construct a major oil pipeline that should bring economic benefits to both Russia and Germany Putin also attempted to build favorable relationships—economic and political—with his Asian neighbors, China and Japan It is too early to determine Putin’s legacy but he maintained his popularity with campaigns against corruption and the oligarchs Economic improvements and stability were welcomed by a public often left in turmoil following the collapse of the Soviet Union Although not an open democracy on Western terms, and with features that suggest the possibility of returning to old ways, Russia remains a world force and one that has the unrealized potential for full democratic development Further reading: Cameron, Ross Russian Politics under Putin Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004; Putin, Vladimir First Person London: Hutchinson, 2000; Sakwa, Richard Putin: Russia’s Choice Oxford: Taylor and Francis, 2004; Shevtsova, Lilia Putin’s Russia Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for Peace, 2003 Theodore W Eversole