Other analysts pointed out that Medvedev’s loyalty to Putin indicates that he would likely hand the presidency back to Putin in the future.

Putin’s appointment of Zubkov as the country’s prime minister was intended to help smooth the transition between

Putin’s presidency and Medvedev’s own in 2008, Wang said.

“As an experienced politician who does not have much political ambition, Zubkov is the best choice to stabilize the government and the country’s social life during the special transition between two presidents,” he said.

The dynamic duo

During Putin’s eight years in office, Russia’s economy has grown rapidly, and the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is now among the world’s top 10. In early 2007, the Russian Government stated its objective of developing the economy: By 2020, Russia’s GDP will be of the world’s top five, and the per-capita GDP will reach $30,000.

In this regard, Russia’s next government must focus on the country’s economic and social development by continuing to follow Putin’s policies, said Shi from the CIIS.

Since Putin decided that he would not change the power distribution between the president and prime minister, the two will be able to work together seamlessly when Medvedev is president and Putin is prime minister. With United Russia as the leading party in the Duma, the Russian parliament, the prime minister and president will all cooperate smoothly, and the government will be able to work more efficiently, Wang said.

The future Medvedev-Putin alliance with Medvedev as president will follow the country’s current development strategy and stance on social reformation, Shi said.

“Improving the Russian people’s living conditions is an important mission for the new government,” he said.

Previously, the Russian Duma had blueprinted its plans with four projects aimed at developing the social economy and adjusting the country’s economic structure by encouraging scientific innovation instead of simply exploiting natural resources. Although

Russia’s GDP has increased significantly, the country’s economic development has relied heavily on rising oil prices, Shi said. Foreign exchange reserves of Russia are about $400 billion; about $200 billion-$250 billion of that comes from oil exports. With his extensive experience overseeing Russia’s economy and social services, Medvedev will give an outstanding performance in his new role, Shi said.

Then there are the neighbors

Mending relations with other countries, especially with Western nations, will be another task for Medvedev’s government. During his time in office, Putin has kept close ties with foreign leaders, including U.S. President George W. Bush. With Putin’s strong support, Medvedev will have a good start on dealing with big world powers, Shi said, although Russia will continue revitalizing its own power.

Putin is viewed as a tough guy by the American administration. In 2007, ties between Russia and the United States became tense when Washington made plans to establish an anti-missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Russia, feeling threatened, strongly opposes the plan. The enlargement of NATO in Eastern Europe and pro-U.S. “color revolutions” in countries that made up the former Soviet Union also strained Russian-U.S. relations.

Foreign affairs experts believe that Medvedev, as a milder mannered leader, might adjust Russia’s foreign policy to regenerate relations with Western countries.

Shi also pointed out that Medvedev, who has been managing affairs with the “China Year in Russia,” is very familiar with Chinese issues, and he would likely handle relations with China very well.

“China and Russia’s economic structures complement each other, thus strengthening bilateral economic ties would benefit both countries and make them good neighbors and partners,” Shi said.

Both China and Russia are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional organization in the Northeastern and Central Asia. In past years, the SCO members have focused on security and carried out joint military drills. With China and Russia’s rising economic strength, the regional organization will have a greater possibility for increased economic cooperation, Shi said. The two countries could jointly establish some economic and scientific foundations that would help other SCO members, he added.

Many of Putin’s critics inside Russia talked previously about forming a federation that combines Russia and Belarus and discussed the possibility of Putin as its president. Russia and Belarus have maintained a very close relationship inside the Commonwealth of Independent States, but they still have a lot of differences between their levels of economic development and social structures. Both countries need to set up legislative systems to adequately govern their regimes, experts said. Both Shi and Wang believe that the federation would not be established very soon. They said that Medvedev as president would continue to implement Putin’s plan to upgrade the relationship between the two countries.