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The visit of Vladimir Putin to the Holy See on June 10th 2015 will be an opportunity to test the potential of the dialogue between Moscow and the Vatican In 1991, the dissolution of the Soviet Union has not only marked the beginning of the definition of a new political ...
Everyone in Moscow tells you that if you want to understand Russia's foreign policy and its view of its place the world, the person you need to talk to is Fyodor Lukyanov. Lukyanov is the chair of Russia's Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, as well as the editor-in-chief of the journal Russia in Global Affairs, which are something like the Russian equivalents of America's Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs — though the Russian versions are considered much closer to the state...
Of course, I understand what you write about the sorry state of affairs in Russia. I am far more optimistic than you about Russia, but can't disagree with most of what you say. Most discouraging is that I wonder what can feed the hopes of your generation, on which the future of the country depends. Of course, there is much about Russia that is good, and which gives grounds for hope. Yet, this does not negate your arguments. To be sure, there has been enormous progress in the last twenty...
... list of Russia’s steps towards the West. In a sense, the Sochi Speech is similar to that of Munich. In it, the President shows the very same concern for the future of the planet, the very same disappointment with our Western partners. But to call Vladimir Putin’s speech in Sochi “Munich 2” would be an oversimplification – after all, seven-and-a-half years have passed since then. We live in a completely different world now. A number of trends that only started to appear ...
... influenced by big money and criminalized elites as they are, at least to some extent, in the former Soviet republics, or in the boss-dominated politics of earlier stages of American democracy? On the other hand, it seems odd to label such leaders as Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenka (Belarus) "undemocratic." Despite whatever falsification of elections has taken place, independent polls show them to have continually maintained remarkable approval ratings for over ten years. True, the ...
Comment on Interview with Alena Ledeneva http://www.rferl.org/content/interview-russia-alena-ledeneva-sistema/24944910.html Ledeneva is one of the few to have confronted the reality that in order to reform Russia and the other post-Soviet republics, one has to understand the mechanisms underlying the system. Interestingly, it was Putin’s answer to her question about corruption that opened Ledeneva's eyes to the existence of “The System” and its importance. Many believe...
Russia's leaders have long recognized a need for competitive politics. They tried twice, in 1995 and in 2006, to create a two-party system from above. Most observers among those who even took note of these attempts ridiculed them. Both times, they stressed that the parties created from above were "pro-Kremlin," so the attempt to create a two-party system could not be serious. Such observers failed, and still fail to recognize that there are powerful reasons why the Kremlin needs...
... To boost his home front popularity he recently cancelled the big Mistral assault ship deal with Moscow (ostensibly linked to Obama’s Ukraine sanctions) and has made France a more active part of the U.S.-led alliance to rein in ISIS. President Vladimir Putin, regardless of his policies, is a nationalist and a strong leader. The global governance movement does not like that kind of leadership. Draw your own conclusions. Defense dollars spent on ISIS will not end the ongoing economic crisis ...
Negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Pyotr Poroshenko are due to be held in Minsk on 26 August 2014, however they are not likely to result in the announcement of the peace process in Donbass. The irony is that both Moscow and Kiev need the transition from civil war to ...
... dialogue. The image credit is rferl.org Brinkmanship turns into economic warfare Until early this year, diplomatic interactions between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry showed the willingness of presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama to dialogue too. But complications involving anti-Assad Islamists supported by U.S. interests, taking part in the fighting in Syria, and Russian allegations that Chechen and Azeri extremists have been involved with the ...
| U.S. wants to establish partnership relations with Russia on condition that it meets the U.S. requirements |
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| U.S. wants to deter Russia’s military and political activity |
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| U.S. wants to dissolve Russia |
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| U.S. wants to establish alliance relations with Russia under the US conditions to rival China |
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