VIDEO: Chess Champ Garry Kasparov Hopes Arab Spring Spreads to Russia

Garry Kasparov mastered the game of chess to become a world-famous champion. These days he’s facing a much tougher opponent: the corrupt leadership of Russia.

Kasparov, a leader of the Russia opposition, spoke at Heritage about why Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is immune to the Obama administration’s reset strategy. In an interview at Heritage before his speech, Kasparov said Obama’s approach was misguided.

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Putin, of course, is poised to reclaim the Russian presidency following Dmitry Medvedev’s announcement last month that he would not seek a second term. In response to the news, Kasparov urged a boycott of Russia’s parliamentary elections in December.

Kasparov, author of “How Life Imitates Chess,” said he’s had difficultly applying the same strategy to Russian politics, simply because the leadership there follows no rules.

Still, he expressed optimism about a future change in Russian leadership following the Arab Spring and toppling of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and death of Muammar Gaddafi in Libya.

The interview runs about 5 minutes. Hosted by Rob Bluey and produced by Brandon Stewart and Kyle Tuckness. For more videos from Heritage, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Source material can be found at this site.