The first thing that sets Dmitry Medvedev apart from all the others is the grin. By “all the others” we mean other high ranking Russian figures, both historical and present day. In a country where companies send employees to boot camp to learn to smile at customers, where dour is the required demeanour in the business world, smiling without good cause is a bit suspicious. Guidebooks tell you to tone it down – that if you walk around Moscow smiling you will be taken for an escaped mental patient or paedophile.

Seen from this perspective, the Russian president’s penchant for smiling amounts to a dangerous political risk. But it is also the thing that gives Medvedev his own political brand. Continue reading »