yeltsin 1991-1997
shock therapy - not literally, shock the system into being capitalist
	nomenklatura capitalism
		capitalism only by name
		messy transition
	capital flight
		some companies stripped down, and $$ not reinvested locally
	kleptocracy
		power holders end up owning lots through privatization
chechnya
	chechnyan separatists, wanted to break away
	issue, b/c not the only region with these distinctions
	others might follow
	strategically located, oil pipelines, ports, other resources
	terrorist operations against russian population by chechnyans
1993 institutions
	dual executive
		president - current is medvedev
		prime minister - current is putin
	legislature:federal assembly
		state duma (lower)
			can be reconfigured if the pres decides it is necessary
			elected by people and PR
			2/3 vote to override veto
		federation council (upper)
			can veto a bill
	judiciary
		constitutional court
			issues between branches of government and those involved, elite disagreements
		supreme court
			citizen's ultimate court of appeals
		supreme arbitration court
			setup to resolve economic disputes

yeltsin died recently

putin 1999-2008
bureaucratic obstacles to parties
	flimsy reasons for disqualification to run
selective corporate corruption investigations
media ownership by allies
	control of media, censorship
sudden deaths of critics
	some are quite clearly murders, such as polonium poisoning
2005 duma elections by PR
opposition increasingly constrained
lots of positive spin for putin and now medvedev

medvedev, born 1965, 2008-present
current issues
economy
	dependency on oil
	industry during major demographic changes
militarism - concern in terms of democratic quality
	georgian separatists
	caribbean exercises
infrastructure/health