In classic Putin style, the Russian president is now trying to push through reforms that would weaken the future presidency at the expense of the future prime ministerial post in a move that led to the surprise resignation this week of the entire government and the plucking from obscurity of a new prime minister that no one’s ever heard of. Some fear the sweeping resignation is a bloodless purge of anyone who might have stood in Putin’s way as he seeks (again) to hold on to ultimate power by a trick of the presidential-versus-prime minister pen. Still, others fear this massive shakeup–which included the resignation of the Russian energy minister–could have implications for the world’s most powerful oil cartel, OPEC, and its market-stabilizing oil production cuts. What Would An Energy Minister Shakeup Mean? President Putin has long supported the deal with OPEC, which should lend support to the continued […]