... Tomasky
Michael Tomasky, Special Correspondent for
The Daily Beast
and Editor of
Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
, shares his opinion on Donald Trump’s and Hillary Clinton’s election campaigns, as well as his thoughts on the future of Russia-U.S. relations. Tomasky is the author of
Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America
(1996), and of
Hillary's Turn: Inside Her Improbable, Victorious Senate Campaign
(2001), a chronicle of Hillary ...
... "democracy," he will say absolutely not.” In the same vein, Stephen Holmes wrote in 2001 that “Vladimir Putin may or may not be dismantling Yeltsinism. But he is not dismantling ‘democracy,’ for no such system existed in Russia before his accession to power. After a decade of multiparty elections, neither the rich nor the powerful seem to take the slightest interest in the well-being of the electorate ... That the Duma's switch from pointless opposition under Yeltsin to opportunistic servility under Putin has made little difference,...
... instrument for winning rigged elections, but unlike the Chinese Communist Party, it lacks the autonomy and ideological coherence needed for securing power succession."
What does this all this mean? Has Putin so thoroughly destroyed the legitimacy of elections that Russians are no longer able even to think about alternatives? Of course not. Even with Putin in power, Russians continue to discuss flaws in the conduct of elections and how such flaws might be remedied. Even if Putin were adamantly opposed to "clean" ...
... elected, he would visit Moscow and hold talks with both the president and the opposition forces that need support in order for Russia’s continued democratic development.
It is too early to draw any conclusions on possible changes in American foreign ... ... their political rivals in eloquence. Second, the proposed changes will take place in the first half of 2017 at the earliest: elections to Congress will be held together with the Presidential election and may change the political balance of forces. The ...
... efficiency of the Presidential Administration… Some officials must be told twice to make them fulfill President's instructions on burning issues
."
External Matters
belstat.gov.by
Commodity Structure of Exports and Imports,
Belarus, 2014 (In Russian)
The third quarter of 2015 will be a major test for Belarus. With presidential elections looming, economic logic often tends to be replaced by political populism, which hampers responses to emerging challenges.
The external challenges, which are hardly manageable by Minsk and may affect developments in Belarus in the second half ...
The US space agency has forked out $490m for six seats for its astronauts to get to the ISS on board one of the Russian Federal Space Agency's (Roscosmos) Soyuz spacecraft. Nasa's space shuttles were stopped in 2011 as the organisation set about sending its astronauts to the ISS on board privately developed spacecrafts like SpaceX. However, a shortfall in funding ...
... are opportunities to exploit in Moscow’s bilateral relations with Chisinau. Firstly, pro-Russian parties enjoy wide support in Moldova. Indeed, the Socialist Party with its slogan “Together with Russia” came first in the 2014 general elections. Secondly, Russia is Moldova’s second most important trading partner after the EU, absorbing 28 percent of the country’s export and supplying around 8 percent of Moldova’s consumer goods. Additionally, Russia accounts for almost 70 percent of remittances ...
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,...
... market model and Western values in order to solidify the West’s economic and political leadership. And the approaching elections are unlikely to rock this basic concern of the Finnish elite.
This commonality with Western partners should be used ... ... countries in Northern Europe to expand areas of common interests and strengthen foreign policy cooperation. In 1991, Finland and Russia vowed to refrain from allowing its territory to be used for military aggression against each other and from rendering military ...
... currently has approval ratings of 37% (EKOS), 34% (Forum), 49%, (Ipsos) and 37% (Abacus). Election Polls Check out the results of the latest public opinion polls Seat Projections The latest election result seat projections by various websites If the Russian community is approached to supports one of the major parties (e.g. the LPC) this could affect the outcome of the election in urban ridings in Ontario, and ridings in the Yukon and Alberta. The approach would be of ensuring long term peace and ...
