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Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual address to the Federal Assembly on Wednesday. On the whole, the speech was more interesting on account of what was not said than what was. It had been expected that Putin would focus on foreign policy, but he gave short shrift to such matters and spoke at great length on domestic affairs instead.
The deep discussion of Russia's internal concerns -- population decline, military reforms, housing shortages, transportation infrastructure and so forth -- contained little that was new. On the whole, it stuck to the theme that Putin has espoused since taking office in 2000: Revitalization from within. It is a theme that, though popular, will do little to resolve Russia's real problems.
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