Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#154 :: 22 August 2013

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#154 :: 22 August 2013
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net
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POLITICS

1. Interfax: Russians expect country to gradually assume more Western features – poll.
2. International Herald Tribune: Thomas Graham, The Drive to Blame Russia.
3. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Massive Flooding Highlights Moscow’s Failure to Invest in Infrastructure.
4. Carnegie Moscow Center: Alexey Malashenko, Unnecessary Anniversary for Ungrateful Descendants. (re August 1991)
5. Carnegie Moscow Center: Akio Kawato, August 19th and the Miscarried Liberalism in Russia.
6. Moskovskiy Komsomolets: Moscow Daily Views Russians’ Attitude to August 1991 Coup in Context of Current Problems. (Mikhail Rostovskiy)
7. Moscow Times: Andy Frecka, 5 Reasons I Love To Live In Russia.
8. Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring: What the Papers Say, Aug. 22, 2013.
9. Moskovskiy Komsomolets: Moscow Daily Sees Possible Return of Surkov as Indication of Putin’s Personnel Policy. (Mikhail Rostovskiy)
10. Interfax: Opposition can offer serious competition to party of power in Yekaterinburg and Voronezh – report.
11. Reuters: Russian court rejects opposition leader’s bid to oust election rival.
12. Moscow Times: Navalny’s Campaign Relies on Innovation.
13. Novaya Gazeta: Commentator Latynina Praises Navalnyy Mayoral Campaign Methods.
14. Argumenty i Fakty: Russian Commentator Warns of Dangers of Navalnyy’s Nationalist Tendencies. (Boris Kagarlitskiy)
15. Reuters: Ben Judah, Navalny – Russia’s opposition hero cult.
16. Moscow Times: Businesses Urge Mayoral Hopefuls to Pursue Laissez-Faire Policy.
17. Moscow Times: Campaign Against Migrants Gains Momentum as Elections Loom.
18. www.thenation.com: Sean Guillory, Corruption, Not Migrants, Is Russia’s Problem. A recent campaign against illegal migrants in Russia reveals the corruption at the heart of the issue.
19. ITAR-TASS: RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW. Kremlin gives money to “foreign agents”
20. Moscow Times: 22 ‘Foreign Agent’ Detected in Russia After Mass Searches, Prosecutor Says.
21. Interfax: Russian rights watchdog head queries security service anonymous tip-off proposal.
22. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Russians Must Take Nationalism Away from the Nationalists, Writer Says. (Mikhail Dorfman)
23. Forbes.com: Mark Adomanis, Boycotting Russian Vodka Is An Irrelevant Sideshow .
24. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Late Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky hid millions in … Serbia? Russia wants $273 million to be repatriated, and Belgrade is complying.

ECONOMY

25. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Russia flirts with recession.
26. AFP: Russia warns of new 2013 growth downgrade.
27. ITAR-TASS: Finance Ministry’s idea to cut social spending to save budget money draws cool response.
28. Valdai Discussion Club: Sergey Aleksashenko, Real causes of the recession are being kept from Putin.
29. Moscow Times: Tim Stanley, Preventing Your Company From ‘Disappearing’
30. Interfax: Russia not hurt by WTO membership, will not revisit terms of accession – official.
31. www.russiatoday.com: Russia’s first year in WTO: short-term pain to get long-term gain?
32. Reuters: New Russian markets tsar vows continuity first, change later.
33. Moscow Times: Bering Strait Shipping Route to Slash Voyage Times Between Asia and Europe.
34. Wall Street Journal: Northern Shipping Route Opens Up in Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

35. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Planetary defense: Which strategy will Russia choose?
36. Russia Direct: Jeffrey Mankoff, Why Russia still matters. For the U.S. to make Russia a strategic priority, Russia needs to become more capable of addressing the global, transnational challenges that face much of the world in the 21st century.
37. Global Times: Charles Kupchan, Putin’s anti-US measures more spiteful than strategic.
38. RIA Novosti: Moscow Says Obama’s Visit to Russia Postponed Not Cancelled.
39. RIA Novosti: US ‘Shooting Self in Foot’ in Row with Moscow over Snowden­ US Lawmaker. (Dana Rohrabacher)
40. Pravda.ru: Western criticism of Russia getting more and more ridiculous.
41. Moscow Times: Kremlin Aide Threatens End of Free Trade With Ukraine.
42. Interfax: Putin’s aide calls opinion that all Ukrainians want European integration ‘sick self-delusion.’ (Sergei Glazyev)
43. ITAR-TASS: Georgian minister says no conditions now for restoring defense cooperation with Russia.
44. Voice of America: James Brooker, Georgia and Russia: Rekindling an Old Love Affair?
45. Asia Times: Saule Mukhametrakhimova, Afghan pullout risks Central Asia security.