Why I'm Optimistic about Putin's Fourth Term

In an opinion editorial in The Moscow Times Nikolai Petrov, a scholar in residence at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, explains why he’s optimistic about president Vladimir Putin’s fourth term. He comments that it seems inevitable that the political system will undergo some changes this year, perhaps even serious ones - not because Putin wants them, but because elements of Putin's inner circle are convinced that the government must take some of the protesters' demands seriously. They understand that some political changes to Putin's system are necessary - if for no other reason than to keep the status quo intact.