(EDM) News and rumors of appointments and dismissals at the top levels of the Russian government have proliferated in recent weeks. And these continue to eclipse the tragic escalation of the war in Syria as well as efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to limit oil production and push up prices. Speculation keeps swirling about Sergei Kiriyenko’s possible move from the general director of Rosatom to the presidential administration or about Alexander Bastrykin’s resignation from chairing the Investigations Committee. So far, the unpredictable cadre reshuffling has defied attempts to find a pattern (Gazeta.ru, September 27). Meanwhile, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s statement about the low effectiveness of the “awkward” state machine has added to expectations of long-overdue reforms in the overgrown bureaucratic structures (RBC, September 30). What is clear, however, is that the replacement of the “old guard” in many positions of power with younger favorites has greater significance for the transformation of President Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime than the recent parliamentary elections. But the overall content of this transformation remains muddled. […]
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