Putin the spinmeister

Russia is getting ready for the G8 summit to be held later this week in St. Petersburg. The political establishment seems to be sparing neither effort nor expense to boost the country’s image and offset critical comments on the situation in Russia. In the past few days President Vladimir Putin has also been making attempts to salvage the prestige of his state. Last week he held a number of meetings with representatives of both human rights and law-enforcement organizations. First, the Russian president received the heads of the 13 largest international NGOs at his Novo-Ogarevo residence, including such prominent ones as Greenpeace and Transparency International. During the three-hour meeting he heard human rights advocates reproaching Russia for violating human rights while combating terrorism.

The international NGOs also condemned Russia’s law on non-governmental organizations, which restricts their rights. Later, during a meeting with 44 top European prosecutors, Putin said that Russia is open to dialogue on human rights issues but will object to using this issue as a tool of political pressure.

The Russian president crafted the latest high-profile spin-control exercise on July 6, when he took part in a two-hour-long online conference for users of the BBC web site and the Russia-based Yandex Internet portal. Many of the nearly 160,000 questions were about freedom of speech, the development of democracy in Russia, as well as international politics, including relations with the US and the coming summit in St. Petersburg.

Putin rejected the opinion of one questioner, who said that democracy in Russia is on the wane, by citing the growing number of TV channels and newspapers. Asked about relations with the US, Putin reiterated his opposition to a unipolar world and called George Bush a decent friend and a reliable partner with whom one can discuss issues and also reach an understanding.

Interestingly, last Friday (after the Russian president’s Web conference) Bush said he hopes to have a frank and sincere dialogue with Putin. The American leader also said he was not going to lecture the Russian president during the G8 summit. Recently, US Vice-President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Russia’s president of infringing freedoms and using energy to blackmail neighboring countries.

President Bush probably does not want to rain on his Russian counterpart’s parade. But Reuters reports that some U.S. officials, who spoke to reporters last Thursday on condition of anonymity, said that concerns about Russia’s backsliding on democracy will be on the agenda when Bush meets Putin.

“Over the past couple of years, we have been concerned about the concentration of powers in the Kremlin, about the diminishing of space for public debate, the narrowing of the debate in the press. We want to gain reassurance that Russia is indeed committed to democracy,” the agency quotes one of the officials as saying. It has not been ruled out that the Russian president’s latest actions are aimed precisely at allaying such fears of Russia’s G8 partners.

But will this not be the repetition of the old story, when Prince Potemkin built fake villages to show Russian Empress Catherine II how well her subjects were living? Will Russia succeed in improving its image for all the G8 partners to see? Will the heads of state make it clear to Putin that Russia should pay more attention to upholding democratic principles?

COMMENTARY

Maria LIPMAN, member of the Expert Council, Carnegie Moscow Center:

“Naturally, the Russian leadership is paying great attention to the G8 summit. It is very important for the Kremlin that nobody and nothing should spoil the atmosphere there. What Russia really wants is not to improve its image but hold the summit on the best possible level. The idea is that the G8 should not deviate from certain subjects, such as energy security, public health and education. But mainly, Russia does not want sensitive issues, like human rights and democratization, to be raised. It seems to me that the president’s extremely active PR campaign is aimed at creating favorable conditions for the summit to take place in a channel suitable for Russia.

“Undoubtedly, the purpose of the latest actions is to make the Western G8 partners regard Russia as an equal (above all, this concerns the US). Russia’s position is that the US should not set the course of events in any part of the world. Russia has very limited leverage for exerting influence on the summit’s course, which Moscow understands only too well because it will be dealing with the world’s most influential persons, leaders of states. And I think Russia is perfectly aware that it cannot demand that their partners say some things and not say others. This is what in fact triggered all that activity on the eve of the summit.

“I do not think that this special occasion for the Russian establishment can be spoiled. There are many pre-conditions for this. Leaders of the most advanced countries never say unpleasant things in public — this is an unwritten law. Even if somebody broaches something unpleasant, in any case we will not hear it because such words can only be said in private. I think the summit will say a lot about the role of Russia as the G8’s honorary host as well as about Russia’s growing clout in the world.

“Nor do I think that this summit will be discussing the problem of Ukraine-Russia gas relations: the leaders of the world’s leading states will have to stick to a three-item agenda. All I can say is that, as far as energy security is concerned, a question to Ukraine can also arise. But this issue is a deeply embedded part of a bigger question, so it is unlikely that it will be discussed in detail.”