Where is Russia heading for under Medvedev?
by Xinhua writers Yu Maofeng, Hai Yang, Liu Yang MOSCOW, May 8 (Xinhua) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday marked his first year in office, which saw a brief war with Georgia, ups and downs in its ties with the West and the spread of an international financial crisis. Though the 43-year-old lawyer, labeled as a liberal reformer, has initiated reforms in many fields, analysts believed there will be no major policy shift in the coming year. STABILITY VERSUS REFORM Medvedev, the former first deputy prime minister, succeeded his long-time mentor Vladimir Putin two months after an overwhelming victory in the country’s presidential election. Putin, whose eight-year presidency was characterized by a booming economy and political stability at home, regarded stability and the unity of thoughts as a guarantee for the country’s resurgence. Such a view was reflected by the name of the Putin-led United Russia Party, which holds two-thirds of the seats in the State Duma, or the lower h
