Russian analyst says Putin to become monarch of post-Soviet space
01/04/2009 17:31 MOSCOW, April 1 (RIA Novosti) - An outspoken Russian political analyst, known for his apocalyptic predictions on the U.S., has said global events suggest that a new alliance could form in Eurasia, with Vladimir Putin at its helm.
Professor Igor Panarin, who grabbed headlines last November with his prediction that the United States would disintegrate, told the Izvestia newspaper that numerous factors, including last year's war with Georgia and the weakness of the global financial system, suggest that a new union will emerge around Russia.
The new bloc, a result of step-by-step economic integration, would "not be formed on the model of the Soviet Union, but on the model of the European Union... In describing the leader of such a union, I would use the word that Machiavelli liked to use - a prince," Panarin told the paper.
"The prince of the post-Soviet space would be Vladimir Putin. His main asset is that, firstly, he has authority among the national ...