Vladivostok as metaphor for Russian ambition
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s stuntman President, donned a white helmet and coveralls Thursday and took to the Siberian skies in a motorized, white hang glider. It was a ruse designed to fool a flock of rare cranes into following him on a practice flight before they’re released into the wild. Today Mr. Putin will be in Vladivostok, Russia’s Pacific capital, preparing to introduce the city to 22 visiting leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit. Russia, he will try to convince them, is ready to play a bigger role in Asia, with Vladivostok ready to join Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo as one of the economic hubs of northeast Asia. At a quick glance – and that’s all Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the other APEC leaders will have during the 48-hour summit this weekend – Vladivostok looks ready for prime time. The APEC summit will be hosted on Russkiy Island, an isolated former Soviet military base that has been overhauled into the new campus of the Far East Federal Univer...