Can Lebed Save His Legacies? ALL 10/21/96 Edition

President Boris Yeltsin's abrupt dismissal of Gen. Alexander Lebed as national security chief may help bring order to the three-ring circus of Russia's government. His leaving is a sign that the most sober and Western-oriented of the senior leadership have won the day, perhaps finally gath...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Christian Science monitor (1983)
Main Author Garnett, Sherman W
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston, Mass The Christian Science Publishing Society (d/b/a "The Christian Science Monitor"), trusteeship under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 21.10.1996
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Summary:President Boris Yeltsin's abrupt dismissal of Gen. Alexander Lebed as national security chief may help bring order to the three-ring circus of Russia's government. His leaving is a sign that the most sober and Western-oriented of the senior leadership have won the day, perhaps finally gathering enough power to fulfill the promise of Mr. Yeltsin's July election victory. Lebed's populism did not mix with the current leadership. He could not be domesticated, he regularly aired the Kremlin's dirty linen, and he openly touted his presidential ambitions. As to Lebed's second legacy, he understood better than anyone else that Chechnya and conflicts like Chechnya remain Russia's Achilles' heel. They must be settled for Russia to move forward. Extracting Russia from the Chechen conflict is every bit as important as economic or political reform.
ISSN:0882-7729