Once upon a time, many years ago (actually, it was April 2006), I participated in a debate on Russia’s energy empire organized by The Economist and The Stockholm Network along with Sebestyn Gorka, Prof. Margot Light, and Dr. Vlad Sobell.  I recall that Prof. Light and Dr. Sobell were assigned the challenge of defending Vladimir Putin’s energy policy at the time, and they did so with admirable tact and sharp arguments.

I was surprised to Dr. Sobell’s name pop up again recently in The Moscow Times under different circumstances, as he appears to be one of the Putin supporters that disagrees with his decision to return to the presidency.  Excerpt below:

But while I understand all of this, I cannot endorse Putin’s decision and now find myself a reluctant critic. Putin had an historic opportunity to consolidate his achievements of the past decade. This would have meant choosing the course of action most likely to ensure the continued existence of the stronger, more stable state in whose creation he has been so instrumental — namely, making way for a successor whose credibility and authority derive solely and directly from the Constitution.