ABSTRACT
On a sunny Friday in May 2004, Vladimir Putin was inaugurated for the second time as the President of the Russian Federation in an elaborate ceremony in the Saint Andrew Hall of the Kremlin Palace. The state television cameras lingered on the historic buildings of the Kremlin, shot from a helicopter above. Inside, the cameras showed an honor guard marching with precision steps in dress uniforms styled from the time of Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of Russia. On the stage in the splendid hall, a special edition of the Russian Constitution lay waiting for the presidential oath, next to a new, glittering state emblem to adorn the neck of the president. Joining Putin on the stage were the head of the Constitutional Court and the speaker of the parliament, to complete the illusion of the three centers of power in Russia. A crowd of dignitaries in somber suits huddled in silence under the white and golden walls of the palace, renovated back to their gilded Tsarist splendor. Solemn music swelled in the background.
