Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#11 :: 17 January 2014

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#11 :: 17 January 2013
E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net
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POLITICS

1. New York Times: Tom Marshall, Behind the Olympics: Teaching About Russia in the Putin Era.
2. Russia Beyond the Headlines: White ribboners and tandemocracy: Russia’s new political vocabulary. Anti-Kremlin protest movements add new trends to Russia’s colloquialisms.
3. Carnegie Moscow Center: Thomas de Waal, Missing the USSR.
4. Interfax: Over 65,000 children were adopted in Russia in 2013 – Astakhov.
5. Paul Goble: Window on Eurasia: Russia Dying Off in the Center.
6. RIA Novosti: 15-20% of Russians Work in Shadow Economy.
7. The Voice of Russia: Dmitry Babich, Myths about Russia: is everything done by the state in Russia’s economy?
8. Moscow Times: What the Papers Say, Jan. 17, 2014.
9. Moscow Times: Putin Says State History Textbooks Will Not Impose Ideology.
10. Moscow Times: Konstatin Sonin, My Muted Optimism For Change in Russia.
11. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Duma considers expanding security agencies’ surveillance tactics on the web. Russian MPs want to step up counterterrorism measures to include more control over what the Internet.
12. RIA Novosti: Terrorism Legislation in Russia Prompts Call for Review.
13. Interfax: Head of human rights council calls to leave Lukin in his post for third term.
14. Moscow TImes: Nikolai Petrov, Who Profits From Terrorism?
15. Reuters: Olympics-Putin promises no discrimination at Games.
16. Moscow Times: ‘Not a Single Complaint’ About Sochi Preparations.
17. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Ogonyok : Charity, Russian Style. After starting a foundation to help children with developmental challenges, Natalia Vodianova knows how to get Russia’s rich to share their wealth to a good cause.

ECONOMY

18. Reuters: Russia saw higher capital outflows, weaker current account in 2013.
19. ITAR-TASS: Russia has got in “a trap of mean incomes”, participants in the Gaidar economic forum says. Russian Press Review.
20. Moscow Times: Foreigners Optimistic at Gaidar Forum.
21. Russia Direct: Is Russia too protective of its economy? Experts analyze how increasing protectionism by the G20 countries ­ especially Russia ­ could lead to a slowdown in global trade and hamper Russia’s further integration into the world economy.
22. ITAR-TASS: Russian government declares war on off-shores.
23. The Voice of Russia: Debating Russia: “Key is getting Russians to invest in their own country”
24. Interfax: Foreign direct investment in Russian companies jumps 80% to $78 bln in 2013.
25. ITAR-TASS: Retirement age: no more debate for another decade, says vice-premier.
26. ITAR-TASS: OECD: Corruption and traffic jams biggest problems for Russia’s business climate.
27. New York Times: O.E.C.D. Encourages Labor Changes in Russia.
28. Business New Europe: Russia makes slow progress in improving economic freedom.
29. The Voice of Russia: Russians prefer to save money in rubles – survey.
30. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Kommersant: Russia may reach for offshore assets with help of OECD. Russia could see a windfall of up to $6 billion in extra taxes if the government passes a bill to ratify OECD tax convention.
31. Moscow Times: Natural Gas Seen as Antidote to Warming.
32. ITAR-TASS: Moscow preparing for conflict with European Union over South Stream gas pipeline. Russian Press Review.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

33. Russia Direct/Kommersant-Vlast: Alexander Gabuev, What to expect from Russian foreign policy in 2014? From strengthening Eurasian integration to entering new hydrocarbon markets, here are the top three foreign policy priorities for Moscow this year.
34. Valdai Discussion Club/Gazeta.ru: Fyodor Lukyanov, Third Decade Diplomacy.
35. Valdai Discussion Club/Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Timofei Bordachev, Russia’s Comprehensive Foreign Policy Needs More Than Just Fewer Diplomats.
36. ITAR-TASS: Risk control is Russia’s motto of G8 presidency at Sochi summit.
37. Carnegie Moscow Center: Akio Kawato, EU-Russia Summit Meeting: A Case for Eurasia-Europe Collaboration.
38. Reuters: EU drops dinner with Putin to show ‘not business as usual’
39. www.russiatoday.com: ‘Ineffective and flawed’ – Russian report blasts EU’s Human Rights protection system.
40. ITAR-TASS: Russia ready to buy Iranian oil despite US protests. Russian Press Review
41. Reuters: Russia steps up military lifeline to Syria’s Assad – sources.
42. http://m-mcfaul.livejournal.com: Ambassador Michael McFaul, Happy New Year: Looking Back, Looking Forward.
43. Institute of Modern Russia: Donald Jensen, U.S.-Russia Relations in 2013: A Year of Living Ambiguously
44. www.russiatoday.com: US will never use Magnitsky Act against its allies ­ senior MP. (Aleksey Pushkov)
45. Moscow Times: Journalist’s Expulsion Reveals Visa Quagmire. (David Satter)
46. The Voice of Russia: US journalist’s appeal to ban RT’s reporters’ entry to US political revenge – Simonyan .
47. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Hue and cry as US journalist barred from Russia – or was he?
48. RIA Novosti: US Condemns Ukraine’s Anti-Protest Laws as ‘Undemocratic’
49. Business New Europe: Ben Aris, Ukraine democracy seen under threat as Rada passes “dictatorship bill”