This evening I am pleased to share the company of the Russia analyst Mr. David Satter, a colleague whose work I highly respect. During our conversation tonight, David mentioned that he had a new piece coming out in the Weekly Standard today, so I asked if he might give a short introduction for us to post up on the blog. Although his article largely speaks for itself (see full text after the jump), he commented that “Given the overt signs of tension in the Russian leadership, it’s a little premature for anyone to draw conclusions about the succession. Unexpected events are still possible. This is really a system without rules, and provocation is not out of the question.”