Russia proved that Russia had “many allies." Dmitry Medvedev's presidency In 2012, Zlobin was one of the few experts to reach a positive assessment of Dmitry Medvedev's term as president (2008-2012), and was criticized by his colleagues around the world for this as a result. While pointing out Medvedev’s failure to implement an ambitious domestic agenda, Zlobin argued that Medvedev pursued a more effective foreign policy than his predecessor by making Russia “an active participant in the creation of a new world order, instead of defending the old one,” as Putin had done. WikiLeaks Zlobin was mentioned multiple times in a 2008 document published by WikiLeaks, in which he was described as a U.S.-based political expert with connections to Russia's ruling United Russia party. According to the document, Zlobin had come to the conclusion that the Putin-Medvedev tandem "works." Personal life Zlobin was a track and field athlete during his undergraduate years at Moscow State University. He passed the standard for Master of Sport of the USSR in the 100-meter race, the equivalent of a Nationally Ranked Player. He has been married and divorced several times. References External links Personal blog Personal blog Nikolai Zlobin’s profile on Snob.ru Nikolai Zlobin's blog on Echo of Moscow Center on Global Interests Russian political scientists American political scientists Moscow State University alumni Living people 1958 births