Putin’s Nemesis Faces the State’s Legal Wrath
Summary:
The case against him may be phony, but Alexei Navalny, the Russian blogger and opposition activist, faces long odds in his trial, which begins Wednesday. When Putin cannot co-opt his enemies, it seems, he has other means of crushing them.
Navalny at a rally in Moscow, May 2012 (Maxim Shemetov / Courtesy Reuters)
For Putin, as it has been for generations of Russian leaders, the law works not as a check on power but as an instrument for consolidating it.
corruption, Law, Law & Institutions, Russian Federation
Why Moscow Is Playing the Long Game on the Island of Aphrodite
Summary:
Russia recently turned down a deal to save Cyprus’ banking sector. At first glance, the move looked like a huge strategic blunder. In fact, a credible offer was never on the table and Moscow needs no accord to secure its dominance on the island.
A bank employee counts money in Nicosa, March 2013 (Courtesy Reuters)
cyprus, Russian Federation
Mistaking Syria for Chechnya
Summary:
Vladimir Putin's unwavering support for the Assad regime in Syria is best explained by his dread of fracturing states and Sunni Islamism -- fears he confronted most directly while brutally suppressing Chechnya's attempted secession from Russia.
A Russian soldier in Chechnya, November 1999 (Courtesy Reuters)
The conflicts in both Chechnya and Syria pitted the state against disparate and leaderless opposition forces, which over time came to include extremist Sunni Islamist groups.
chechnya, Humanitarian Intervention, Russian Federation, State Failure, Strategy & Conflict, syria, terrorism
Russia's Quest to Rebuild the Soviet State
Summary:
Since coming to power in 2000, Vladimir Putin has added an overarching goal to Russian foreign policy: the recovery of economic, political, and geostrategic assets lost by the Soviet state in 1991.
A Vladimir Putin float in Nice, France. (Eric Gaillard / Courtesy Reuters)
Politics & Society, Russian Federation, Strategy & Conflict
A Statesman's Guide to Building a New Concert of Europe
Foreign policy realists have long found inspiration in the ideas of Lord Castlereagh, who served as British foreign secretary during and after the Napoleonic Wars. A new biography of the statesman presents him as more ideological than is traditionally assumed, and suggests that his example is more relevant than ever -- and might even hold the key to solving Europe's ongoing crisis.
Austria, czech republic, France, germany, hungary, poland, Russian Federation, United Kingdom
The Mind and the State of Russia’s President
With Vladimir Putin back in power in Russia, understanding him is more important than ever. Two recent books attempt to unravel the mystery, adding new insight into the Russian leader's life and rule. But by trying to comprehend Putin through his personal history, they miss the true heart of the story: the state he built.
Eastern Europe & Caucasus, insight, joshua yaffa, july 1, mystery, personal history, recent books, russia, Russia & FSU, Russian Federation, russian leader, true heart, vladimir putin
Before Beijing There Was Moscow
Summary:
For the Soviets, accepting that malcontents could be found in their communist paradise undermined their worldview, so sending them abroad was a way of putting them out of mind. China’s approach to dissidents today comes more from defensiveness about its status as world leader.
The Soviet physicist and Nobel prize winner Andrei Sakharov arrives at Paris's Orly airport under the watchful eye of frontier police December 9, 1988. (Courtesy Reuters)
andrei sakharov, defensiveness, dissidents, europe, nobel prize winner, orly airport, reuters, Russia & FSU, Russian Federation, soviet physicist, soviets, watchful eye, worldview
How the Kremlin Accidentally Liberalized Russia's Natural Gas Market
Summary:
In the coming years, Gazprom won’t be able to rely on high profit margins to stay at the top of the energy business. And Putin won’t be able to rely on Gazprom as a source of power.
Putin signs a pipe during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 'Dalneye' gas-distribution station. (Courtesy Reuters)
Things look bad for Gazprom but it is inconceivable that the company will simply disappear; it is just too big and owns too many subsidiaries.
distribution station, Energy, energy business, Environment, gas distribution, gazprom, high profit margins, kremlin, natural gas market, putin, reuters, ribbon cutting ceremony, Russian Federation
The Perils of Serving as Ambassador to Russia
Summary:
It's never been easy to represent the United States in Moscow, especially if you're a Russian-speaking public intellectual who has criticized the Kremlin. The story of two U.S. ambassadors to Russia, George Kennan and Michael McFaul.
5:08 PM: Welceom [sic] to my life. Press has right to film me anywhere. But do they have a right to read my email and listen to my phone?
5:14 PM: When I asked these "reporters" how they knew my schedule, I got no answer. Heard the same silence when they met me after meeting w/[Anatoly] Chubais.
1:15 AM: Just watched NTV. I mispoke [sic] in bad Russian. Did not mean to say "wild country." Meant to say NTV actions "wild." I greatly respect Russia.
foreign policy, Obama Administration, Russian Federation, Truman Administration, united states
Summary:
The speeches at the protests last weekend were uninspiring and off-message. By focusing on vote-rigging, which was not nearly as prevalent as in other recent elections, organizers sidelined themselves.
Democratization, elections, moscow, organizers, Political Development, protests, putin, Russian Federation, speeches, vote rigging
