6. Vladimir Putin Takes Back the Reins
6.普京重新上位
The Obama Administration's "reset" of U.S. relations with Russia sputtered and died in 2011, with the erstwhile Cold War rivals squabbling over everything from NATO's missile defenses, to how to tackle Iran's nuclear program. Expect the chill to deepen: Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister and de facto autocrat, now seems poised to reclaim the presidency he relinquished to protege Dmitri Medvedev in 2008. Washington had hoped to make headway by ignoring Putin and dealing primarily with Medvedev, but the president's decision to step aside for his patron (who was constitutionally required to take a four-year break from the presidency) underscored the fact that he had simply been keeping Putin's seat warm. The former KGB man, meanwhile, burnished his tough-guy image by writing a book on judo, and allowing himself to be photographed shirtless on horseback, welding and shooting a Siberian tiger with a dart. Putin's more assertive nationalist posture poses challenge for Western governments, but a recent poll found his domestic approval rating having dipped to 61% and his United Russia party took losses in recent parliamentary elections, winning only 53% of the seats, down from the 70% they previously held. That could portend a rougher ride back to power than Putin had anticipated.
奥巴马政府对美俄关系重新“复位,虽态度激昂但未免语焉不详,而此次复位在2011年以失败告终,结局是这对冷战时期的旧日冤家为大小事件争吵不休,从北约导弹防御系统到如何解决伊朗核问题。现在就等着寒意更深一步吧:俄国总理普京是实际上的掌权者,现在看来试图收回他在2008年拱手让与梅德韦杰夫的总统大权。华盛顿曾试图通过忽略普京而主要与梅德韦杰夫谈判来取得进展,但梅德韦杰夫的决定都不被采纳,因为支持他上台的普京(他一直被要求在两次连任之后让出总统职位)一直强调这个事实:他的作用只是帮普京暖着总统的位子。而同时这位前克格勃不断打磨他的硬汉形象,通过出版柔道方面的书,以及让人拍到他赤裸上身骑在马背上的照片、做焊工活儿的照片以及用飞镖射中一只西伯利亚猛虎的照片。普京强硬的国家主义姿态对西方政府来说是种威胁,但是近期的民调现实他在国内的支持率下降到61%,而他领导的统俄党也在最近的国会选举中失利,只得到了53%的席位,而之前他们拥有七成席位。这也许预示了重掌大权之路比普京预期的要艰难许多。
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