1. Erin, Leah, Lisa

2. Russian Executives  President limit of 2 consecutive 4-yr terms ◦ Head of state ◦ Hard to impeach ◦ Decrees ◦ Majorcan election ◦ Power to dissolve  Prime Minister=Chairman of the gov’t of the Russian Federation ◦ Appointed by president ◦ If not approved by State Duma 3x, chairman is appointed and new elections are called  Government =primer minister, 2 first deputy prime ministers, seven deputy prime ministers and 17 ministers

3. Vladimir Putin Current Prime Minister President from 1999 to 2008 President since 2008

4. Former KGB officer – 1985 - Undercover in East Germany Quickly ascended in politics – 1999 - Named acting president Elected President in 2000 – Challenges oligarchs and is tough on Chechnya Approval ratings at 83% Elected President in 2004 – Prosecutes oligarchs – Crackdown on media freedom Appointed Prime Minister in 2008 – June ’09 pulls out of talks with WTO and EU

5.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV4IjHz2yI o

6.  Legitimacy of 2007 parliamentary elections ◦ Opposition excluded from mass media, freedom of assembly was restricted ◦ International organizations didn’t monitor or recognize the elections  2008 Presidential Elections

8.  Former Soviet leader Gorbachev criticized Putin and Medvedev for choosing who will run for president ◦ “incredibly deceitful” and disrespectful to voters  Should be decided by those who cast ballots

9.  Medvedev introduces reforms in 2009 ◦ Lower the number of police officers by 20% and raise salaries  New provisions would restrict officer’s speech  Important amendments regarding beating women and privacy were not passed

10.  Only 19% of Russians said they thought the police would improve  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0ekAn8f p6E

11. Past Winter Paralympic Mascots Past Winter Olympic Mascots

12. Sochi 2014 Olympic Mascots Misha 1980 Moscow Mascot Untied Russia—Putin’s Party

13. Sochi 2014 Paralympic Mascots

14. Preparation  Licensing began Oct. 2009  Royality fees=funding  Security ◦ Moscow’s Domodedovo airport Jan. ◦ Feb 18 th Kabardino-Balkaria region; Northern Caucauses  5 killed in shooting  Cable car bombed  3 diffused bombs  185 miles  tourism ◦ Caucuses ◦ Caucasus Emirate

15. Sochi  Sochi black sea resort  "hot snow“  74 test events  Infrastructure  Chechnya to east

16. Doku Umarov  Cheynen Rebel Leader  24 January 2011 airport  Nov. 2010 train  2007 connected movement w/internatinional ilsamist movement

17. - Does Putin deserve to be President again? Does he have the authority? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vkHdIWzd kY - Which is more valuable: Medvedev’s authority or Putin’s legitimacy? - How has Russia’s history of tsars and personified autocrats influenced its current political situation?