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Those who had hoped that President Dmitry Medvedev would lead Russia to a more democratic, Western-friendly future have experienced a roller coaster of emotions recently. They were uplifted by a speech Medvedev gave before Russia’s ambassadors two weeks ago in which he spoke of the need for “modernization alliances” with the United States and other Western countries. Once again, Medvedev voiced support for the rule of law, democracy, and civil society institutions: “It is in the interests of Russian democracy for as many nations as possible to follow democratic standards in their domestic policy.”

Three days later, however, Medvedev’s comments in a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela...