What President-elect Obama needs to know about Russian PM Vladimir Putin

The World
The Russian parliament is fast-tracking legislation that would create a path for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to return to the Kremlin as president for another two six-year terms. Putin had already served two four-year terms as president from 2000 to 2008, but the current constitution prevents a president from serving more than two terms consecutively. With one-party control, the measure is expected to pass, and quickly, meaning there could be a President Putin in place soon (well before the end of the first term of the President-elect Barack Obama) and until 2021.
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