The Arab Rebellion has polarized Russia: some dream that the Spirit of Tahrir will visit Moscow, even as others hope for a NATO crusade to spread Western values all the way to the Volga; yet a third lot prays fervently that nothing will change, now or ever.\u00a0 The recent Russian abstention in the UN Security Council has split the elites and made the growing rift visible at last.<\/span><\/p>\n President Dmitri Medvedev has declared Kaddafi persona non grata<\/em>. He supported the proposal to transfer Libya\u2019s case to the ICC; he then ordered his Ambassador in the Security Council to abstain. A few days later, ex-strongman Prime Minister Vladimir Putin roundly criticised Medvedev\u2019s compliance; he called the Western intervention \u201ca new crusade\u201d, and suggested that the Western leaders should \u201cpray for their souls and ask the Lord\u2019s forgiveness\u201d for the bloodshed. Medvedev shot back with a meaningless \u201cdon\u2019t you dare to speak of crusades\u201d comment, and the pundits made a lot of mileage from this exchange, eager to see first light between the twain. Before this the President and the PM had behaved like Siamese twins. Now it seems they begin to pull apart.<\/span><\/p>\n