more contentious is certainly not going to be the same it is certainly not the same duma that we had before with united russia now there's a little bit more contention in there more competition is it good or bad for equities. it's good we need a discussion i mean the trouble with having you know political power concentrated in the hands of a few people who stay there forever is that you are so fire the system and then it becomes increasingly inefficient so to shake things up a bit is important we've always had a debate in russia between the liberal camp from st petersburg and the sort of the key you know the origin of mickey from the old system and now that it's been institutionalized a bit more but nevertheless you know we still exist within this managed democracy i mean we've taken a small step towards greater democracy but we're sort of stepha yes i think so i mean any any increase in debate is a good thing i mean the critics would argue with justification that we should go a lot faster in that direction and i think with the presidential elections coming up you know last year ever

so we were having a lot of positive words come out of the duma from various parties but we actually we haven't seen any any real action and you know there are a lot of things that can be moved forward and it's not just within the political parties but we need to see that move into legislation we need to see corporations adopting a just a different attitude as well in many respects interesting david what do you think about that the bar the level of political risk i mean is that in the law in the longer term you think this is a positive development is happening in this country right now i was very positive i think it's very good news actually and i think there's always that western sentiment is that is always a different thing from what actually happens on the ground and i think that westerners investors are looking at about prevention what about what's going on in russia but it's largely based on what they see on television screens i mean this isn't the protest movement and isn't a sudden sort of. change of heart amongst the russian population has been protested and in a consistent d

and you know for example that before this campaign to the state duma a portion wrote another article in the same newspaper and it was also like a program of a go but it was about absolutely a different idea about your race your grace and of course with the role now here absolutely right program but i can agree with you again because he's tried to speak with the middle class but he can't give this price so we look let's stick to the middle class issue here is what putin had to say about the middle class in russia in this article. what is particularly important is that with the past ten years russia has produced a considerable segment of the population people who in the west told the middle classes their incomes allow them a certain freedom with what they choose to spend and what to see what to buy and how to spend their holidays they can afford to be choosy where to work and have some savings under their belt lastly the middle classes of people who can choose politics as a rule their education is such that they can take a discriminating attitude to candidates rather than with their he

them done a mission and also given the lib dems and setting it off from a russian speaking in the duma just behind me to say they are the leaders of their respective parties they turning up support in their own way as is gone off from the communists so it is starting to slip into the next year as we approach that election on the fourth of march. but one of the leaders of the international terrorist organization murat cause has been killed in russia's north caucuses republic of. those during a counter terrorist operation he was also the head of the largest underground network in the republic known for carrying out multiple attacks across the caucuses the man was responsible for an explosion at a local market invited temblor twenty ten which killed nineteen people and injured hundreds the shootout between the security forces in the militants lasted several hours officials say two other gunmen were also killed in the exchange. well a new wave of violence has swept across syria after a massacre killed dozens in the restive city of homes activists say forces loyal to president assad were re

well to discuss both issues further i'm now joined in the studio by the deputy chief of the russian a duma committee for international affairs constantine cost of thank you for joining us on r.t. today straight to that of syria the u.n. security council is set to negotiate a new draft resolution later on tuesday what do you think we should expect to see by the end of the day do you expect any action on this well hopefully we will be able to see here because i believe that we need to have a united position by the security council and its member states but perspectives are not there good because the draft resolution has been the give a route to that has been drafted to result the russian participants participants result take into account our concerns and the major concern is still that these draft resolution is addressed just towards one part in the call flip namely mr his government in order to force them to resign and there is no review undermines any perspectives for a political solution for this crisis so it is interesting how you bring in the fact that that undermines russia's view here

we were held at a military checkpoint on the outskirt of duma, this suburb of damascus, for over an hour, and while we waited we could hear the sounds of gunfire. finally, the soldiers have waved us forward. we're inside the town now. it's eerily deserted, except for military atta almost every corner. just anahour earliaer, video posted on the internet showed the streets of dumaa filled with antigovernment protesters. by the time we were allowed in, the residents told us they'd run away when the shooting started. over the years, anyone who challenged the ruling family was either exiled or jailed, like dr. chair, an opposition leader now out of prison and deeply worried. >> it must be a warning to allah those, and they must act very quickly and very effectively to avoid the progress of civil war. >> reporter: but calls for political dialogue are lost in the growing chorus of religious hatred and the volleys of gunfire. it's a tragedy for syria and the embryonic opposition. >> if the battle is lost, most of us will be either jailed or executed. we know that. so we must not-- we must not lo

the mastermind behind that video and state duma deputy robert proved his party can also fight its wars online broke out super powers the use of being with my aim is to provoke to preen reality darker than that is often i don't agree with such statements in my videos but they do work but i see these putin and russia without putin would rise why not give away your country your beautiful girlfriend to some foreign guys what will happen to the caucasus nothing less just give it away to you spawning a war technically the videos made a very professional you can see that a highly paid specialist did it all and it appeals to primitive responses but works one hundred percent first thought is that there is indeed no future without put but videos from the opposition are just as blatant. and out of whole a trend of this election season eavesdropping on politicians and posting recordings online or those taking part in a massive opposition rally in december were surprised to find out that one of their inspirations worrisome self described them in a phone as. hear from each other of government proper

behind tens of thousands of people coming out onto the streets of moscow after allegations the december duma vote was raked. the protest at least fifty thousand strong the largest in recent history call for free and fair elections and remained peaceful ruling party united russia lost popularity in the vote with official results putting their numbers i don't most fifty percent but experts say a sixteen percent drop from two thousand and seven should be taken as a warning i think a lot of people want to punish. united russia for having power for so long and maybe not doing everything they could protest organized by vast groups of opposition members are set to continue in two thousand and twelve next year russia along with the u.s. and france holds presidential elections which makes it a safe bet people will be out on the streets in twenty twelve in europe america and around the world and he's now a party moscow. and we'll have more on the ones that show you twenty eleven waiting for you on our web site home and also there you. see how the world celebrated their arrival of twenty twelve you'll

united states seriously consider a military for at least four these days deputy chief of the russian duma committee for international affairs causing causer cha thank you for joining us today. america's decision to station its forces in the philippines is as part of its new asian strategy now threatening repercussions the state owned china daily called on beijing to enact economic sanctions against manila after invited in u.s. troops in reaction to an escalating territorial dispute but apart from the church of the political research institute of southeastern asian studies expects a stronger reaction in the coming weeks the u.s. has claimed that this is about to maintain the freedom of navigation and it is partly the interest of the u.s. but i think if we look deeper this is not only about to maintain or to defend in the navigation this is about to come out of the rise of china and when you talk about the rise of china this is not about economic rise but it's also about the rise of military capability for beijing the issue of the u.s. engagement with the east asia we defeat bins and also o

than us is and a constant in qatar from the foreign affairs committee in the russian russian state duma says that the syrian opposition is being told by the west the regime is doomed and there's no need to negotiate but i believe that the whole have had a unique chance to get to gears are arranging political consultations and most of this initiative was rejected yesterday by their position and the. reason the look there are no prospects to speak out of this regime because this regime is out of question really why because messages coming to syria from brought to washington from brussels from elsewhere have all this build this regime does not have a future you don't need to talk to them this is the wrong message and by that message they want to remind you of to score political consultations and more school or elsewhere and this is how we continue to see clashes in syria you see blood we will see casualties weak teams unfortunately it will continue to happen not to due to the russian position but due to the position there you know that there are very very unfair position taken by the unite

the mastermind behind that video and state duma deputy robert proved his party can also fight its wars online broke out superpowers the use of being able to my games to provoke her campaign reality darker than that is often i don't agree with such statements in my videos but they do work. in that russia without putin would rise why not give away your country your beautiful girlfriend to some foreign guys what will happen to the caucasus nothing less just give it away to you spawning a war technically this video has made it very professional you can see that a highly paid survey shows did it appeals to primitive responses but works one hundred percent first thought is that there is indeed no injury without putting but it is from the opposition are just as. an adequate trend of this election season in.

actions over the little known to russia party when the majority of seats in the state duma they were to shop for and support before. look at some headlines from around the world the south. italian orthorexic place the captain of the stricken cruise ship the costa concordia under house arrest and so you know he's accused of crimes in the us and to crash into the rocks and abandoning its before the passengers were evacuated to safety the recorded phone call with the coast guard and shortly thereafter donna kupp size of writing supports the allegations that attempt denies the claims have been bodies have been recovered from the wreckage and people are still missing. the european commission has launched a legal challenge against hundreds new constitution and aspects of it to you that you station caring for most. has been criticised for passing reforms that threaten the independence of the media and judicial system because of public outrage and tens of thousands out onto the streets and protest. that circus court has sentenced a man to life no to prominent local media and journalist. acqu

showed up to the demonstration himself there may be small pockets of protests in areas such as me and duma but i wouldn't expect any more than hundreds of people and other areas such as follows that there is a likelihood yesterday we did see some footage of protests in the numbering no more than in the in the hundreds but amongst the protesters that were convoys of. fighters i believe from the free syrian army so just how free and peaceful those protests weighs very difficult to tell but as for here in the mask as i wouldn't really expect anything significant now the arab league has also just finished its observer mission in syria what do you think they'll have to say about the situation in the country. well i wouldn't really expect anything from the syrian government's point of view i wouldn't really expect anything to up to mystic but of course we have to remember that before the arab league arrived nobody actually expected the syrian government to allow them into the country because they had up until about point paid a very important role in giving moral support to the syrian council th