Here is an interesting bit from the FT about a last minute “edit” made in a speech by Germany’s foreign minister to soften his criticism of the irregularities in Russia’s elections:
According to the manuscript of a speech Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German foreign minister, was due to present this week he had also “hoped for a freer and fairer election”. But what’s this? When he delivered the speech in Berlin this passage had been replaced with more diplomatic language about a “wider choice” of parties being desirable at future elections. During president Vladimir Putin’s reign Merkel played the “bad cop” towards the Russian leader while Steinmeier was the “good cop”, rarely complaining in public about democracy and human rights. Is it already business as usual under Medvedev?
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