Tag: Government
NEWSWATCH: “Muslims in Russia See Putin’s Antiterrorism Efforts at Home as Backfiring. North Caucasus residents say crackdown often leads to new recruits for Islamic State.” – Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal covers concerns that Russian government policies will fuel more terrorist recruits for the so-called Islamic State. President Vladimir Putin justifies his military action in Syria in part as a way to head off the terrorist threat at home, especially here in the mostly Muslim north Caucasus. But residents say the government’s often heavy-handed measures are instead […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Amid recession and predatory officials, Russia’s small businesses hang on. Small businesses are a small part of Russia’s oligarch-dominated economy. But despite the headwinds they face – and the instability they could bring to the current order – they are showing resilience amid the downturn.” – Christian Science Monitor
Putin’s New Internet Czar Wants Apple and Google to Pay More Taxes
(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Khrennikov and Stepan Kravchenko – February 8, 2016) When he’s not checking Gmail on his MacBook, Vladimir Putin’s new Internet czar can’t stop railing against American technology companies. Google, Apple Inc. and Microsoft Corp., collectively worth more than Russia’s gross domestic product, have all entered German Klimenko’s crosshairs since he was named Putin’s first Internet […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK Carnegie Moscow/Ilya Klishin: “Web of Control: the Future of the Russian Internet”
NEWSLINK: “CGI Asks: Who Wins From Russia’s Privatization?” [Sergey Aleksashenko, Harley Balzer, Chris Miller, Daniel Russell] – Center on Global Interests
NEWSLINK: “Russian Officials Consider Bank Support Measures” – Transitions Online
A law beyond improvement; Defining “political activity” may seem like an academic exercise, but in Russia, it is an existential one.
Defining “political activity” may seem like an academic exercise, but in Russia, it is an existential one. (opendemocracy.net – Tanya Lokshina – February 8, 2016) Tanya Lokshina is Russia program director at Human Rights Watch. In May 2013, as Russia was craving positive international publicity before the Sochi Olympic Games, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjorn Jagland, […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Government Approval Drops as Russians Start to Feel Economic Sting” – Center for Global Interests/Sergey Aleksashenko
NEWSLINK: “Putin outlines conditions for privatization of state assets.” – RBTH/RBC Daily
Review: Arkady Ostrovsky’s ‘The Invention of Russia’
This new history tells a compelling, if normative, story of how Russia’s journalists and entrepreneurs threw off their former shackles, only to put them back on again. (opendemocracy.net – Maxim Edwards – February 3, 2016) Maxim Edwards is Commissioning Editor at oDR. He writes on nationalism, inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations, with a focus on post-Soviet countries. His articles have appeared […]
» Read moreMicromanaged Democracy: Russia’s Ruling Party Schools Candidates On Campaigning
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – February 3, 2016) Elections for Russia’s State Duma, as well as a large number of local contests, are scheduled for September. And the ruling United Russia party wants to make sure its candidates are prepared for any awkward encounters with voters or journalists. The party has created a largely closed section on its […]
» Read moreRussia’s latest anti-crisis plan: How will it work?
The Russian government is making fresh attempts to lead the economy out of the crisis, primarily by investing in industry. RBTH analyzes the Kremlin’s latest anti-crisis plan and offers three alternative strategies for overcoming the crisis. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEI LOSSAN, RBTH – February 4, 2016) At the beginning of 2016 the signs for the Russian […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Russian State Assets for Sale: The Privatization Delusion” – Moscow Times/Mark Adomanis
Putin Using Specter of Russia’s Disintegration to Avoid Reform, Rogov Says
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, February 4, 2016) Vladimir Putin is talking about the disintegration of the Soviet Union in order to promote among Russians that their country is at risk of the same fate, an idea that as it gains currency will drive off the political agenda all other issues, including the failures of the current […]
» Read moreRussia’s year of cinema, or a return to silent films
In Russia, 2016 has been designated the Year of Cinema. But any new films are likely to be ‘silent’, lacking any voice of their own. (opendemocracy.net – Eleonora Zbanke – February 3, 2016) Eleonora Zbanke is a filmmaker, videographer, producer, human rights activist and a speaker at the 2015 World Forum for Democracy on “Freedom vs Control”. Russia’s cinema industry […]
» Read moreRussia’s Got Talent: Kadyrov’s Electoral Politics
(Kennan Institute – wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute – Maxim Trudolyubov – February 3, 2016) Maxim Trudolyubov is a Senior Fellow at the Kennan Institute and the Editor-at-Large of Vedomosti, an independent Russian daily. Mr. Trudolyubov was the editorial page editor of Vedomosti between 2003 and 2015. He has been a contributing opinion writer for The International New York Times since the fall of […]
» Read moreWhat Do Russians Really Think? The Truth Behind the Polls
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Eva Hartog – February 4, 2016) [Charts here http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-do-russians-really-think-the-truth-behind-the-polls/558537.html] The champagne corks were already popping for New Year’s Eve celebrations when several thousand Crimeans received an unexpected phone call. The voice on the end of the phone was a pollster from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM). The pollster had just two questions:”Do you […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Putin’s Chechen enforcer. The alarming world of Ramzan Kadyrov.” – The Economist
VIDEO & ARTICLE: ‘I Love Russia. I Am A Patriot:’ Pussy Riot Strikes At Prosecutor
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Anna Shamanska, Michael Scollon – February 3, 2016) They have made a scene at the altar, crashed the Sochi Olympics, and taken numerous lumps for taking on Putin’s Russia. Pussy Riot, the Russian punk rock collective of fierce Kremlin critics, is now going after the man that lords over Moscow’s version of justice — Prosecutor-General Yury […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “PUTIN’S HARD/SOFT STRATEGY. The unpredictability of Vladimir Putin’s “hard” and “soft” sides constantly confound the West, but his approach has an internal logic of its own.” – The Wilson Quarterly/Jill Dougherty
NEWSLINK: “More Putin than Putin. Ramzan Kadyrov Tries to Take Center Stage.” – Foreign Affairs/Alexander Baunov
NEWSLINK: “How Putin created a monster in Chechnya. A crazed Chechen leader, once a Putin favorite, is embarrassing the Kremlin by threatening everyone.” – Politico.eu/Anna Nemetsova
NEWSLINK: “Dirty propaganda wars in Russia. Mud sticks – that’s why politicians love to throw it at their opponents. But in Russia it’s become an art form with TV programs making allegations to discredit government critics. Fiona Clark reports from Moscow.” – Deutsche Welle
NEWSLINK: “By Bread Alone: Why Poor Russians Aren’t Protesting” – Carnegie Moscow/Gazeta.ru/Andrei Kolesnikov
NEWSLINK: “Putin’s Shaky Tsardom. With Russia’s political environment growing more chaotic, just how much is Putin in control?” – The New Yorker/Masha Lipman
NEWSLINK: “A whiff of panic in the Kremlin as Russia’s economy sinks further” – Reuters/William Pomeranz
NEWSLINK: “How Litvinenko’s poisoning fits into Putin’s power play. Everything Vladimir Putin has done to reassert Russian power has seemed farfetched, outlandish and inconceivable-until he did it” – Maclean’s (Canada)/Michael Petrou
U.S. Senator Predicts Revelations Of Putin’s Wealth Will Destabilize His Rule
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – February 1, 2016) A senior U.S. lawmaker says revelations about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wealth will be “destabilizing” to his rule as the Russian population becomes increasingly aware of them. U.S. Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Voice Of America on February 1 that the Russian people “are beginning […]
» Read moreWhy Germans Supported Hitler to the End and Why Russians May Do the Same with Putin
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, February 3, 2016) In a recent book review essay in the New York Review of Books, military historian Max Hastings cites a passage from Nicholas Stargardt’s “The German War” (Basic Books, 2015) to explain why Germans continued to “close ranks around Hitler” even after it became obvious that their country was going […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “For Putin, For Stalin. Fearful of unrest, Russia’s president is using the memory of Stalin to exhort his people to sacrifice.” – Foreign Policy/Hannah Thoburn
NEWSLINK: “Pussy Riot Video Mocks Russian Prosecutor Accused of Corruption” – New York Times
TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting with the core group of the Leaders Club
(Kremlin.ru – February 3, 2016) Vladimir Putin met with the core group of the Leaders Club, an informal association of small and medium business owners from various economic sectors. The Leaders Club was established in February 2012 and is engaged primarily in having businesspeople provide independent evaluations of conditions for doing business in Russia’s regions and the quality of state […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK: “Russian oligarchs most likely buyers in Putin’s new privatisation plan” – Reuters
NEWSLINK TASS: “Russia’s ex-PM asks FSB to launch criminal proceedings against Chechen leader”
NEWSLINK: “Ramzan Kadyrov, the Putin of Chechnya. Putin’s Dragon. Is the ruler of Chechnya out of control?” – The New Yorker/Joshua Yaffa
Virtual Stalinism
(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – February 2, 2016) Russian officials seem to have developed an execution fetish of late. One example, of course, is the disturbing video Ramzan Kadyrov posted on Instagram showing opposition figures Mikhail Kasyanov and Vladimir Kara-Murza in the crosshairs of a sniper’s rifle. Another is the bizarre series of animated clips Vladimir Putin’s All-Russian […]
» Read moreIs liberalism the future for Russia?
For years, ‘liberal’ has been a dirty word in Russia, a shorthand for everything undesirable. Yet state propaganda is having an unexpected side-effect: the rehabilitation of liberalism. (opendemocracy.net/Colta.ru – Andrei Arkhangelsky – February 2, 2016) Andrei Arkhangelsky is a Russian journalist, essayist and scholar of cultural studies. He is also cultural editor for Ogonyok and researches contemporary Russian media. According […]
» Read moreKremlin: Privatization of Russian companies open for foreign investors
(Interfax – February 2, 2016) Privatization of Russian companies is open for foreign investors, and Russia is interested in attracting new foreign partners, the Kremlin has said. “Russia has always been interested in foreign investors; we value cooperation with those who continue to operate on the Russian market and we are interested in an inflow of fresh investments,” Kremlin press […]
» Read morePutin Says No Privatization at Knockdown Prices
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 2, 2016) President Vladimir Putin on Monday threw cold water on proposals to quickly sell stakes in state companies to fill holes in Russia’s budget. “There should be no sale of shares cheaply, at giveaway prices. This won’t bring particular benefit to the budget,” Putin said at a meeting with officials and heads of […]
» Read moreTRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting on privatisation
(Kremlin.ru – February 1, 2016) Vladimir Putin held a meeting to discuss privatisation issues. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, colleagues. We have met today to discuss the Government’s privatisation plans for 2016. I have just looked over a few issues with [Prime Minister] Mr Medvedev. The privatisation process plays an important part in changing the Russian economy’s structure […]
» Read moreEconomic Minister says moderate economic growth possible in Russia in 2016
(Interfax – February 2, 2016) Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev does not rule out the possibility of the Russian economy shifting to moderate growth in 2016. “A shift is already possible this year, perhaps, to moderate, recovery growth in the economy for the time being. We should be prepared for this,” Ulyukayev said at a ministry meeting on Feb. 2. […]
» Read moreNEWSLINK ReadRussia/Mark Galeotti: “Why the Litvinenko Enquiry Was Not a ‘Farce'”
Half of Russians don’t trust conclusions made by British in Litvinenko case
(Interfax – January 31, 2016) Over half of Russians (53%) believe the London court had no real grounds to accuse Russian officials of involvement in the death of former Federal Security Service official Alexander Litvinenko, Levada Center has reported. The poll, which surveys 1,600 respondents, was conducted in 137 populated areas of 48 regions of Russia on Jan. 22-25. The […]
» Read moreRussia’s Yabloko Party Turns Down Offer to Merge With PARNAS
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – February 1, 2016) Russian liberal opposition party Yabloko has turned down a proposal from the PARNAS opposition party that they merge to compile a single list of State Duma election candidates, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday. “It was suggested that we include our candidates on the PARNAS list. They actually suggested we liquidate our party, […]
» Read moreHas the crisis driven back corruption in Russia?
The British television channel BBC One has reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal fortune totals $40 billion. At the same time, Putin himself has ordered officials to act “tough” in returning everything stolen and taken out of Russia. Could the economic crisis lead to a reduction in corruption in the country? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – YEKATERINA […]
» Read moreRussians do not want authorities to have access to non-public personal data
(Interfax – January 31, 2016) Most respondents surveyed by the Public Opinion Foundation (58%) believe the state should not have access to non-public personal data and people’s correspondence on social networking sites and via email, while 24% believe it violates human rights and 22% believe it constitutes privacy invasion and is not ethical. The poll, which surveys 1,000 respondents who […]
» Read moreEver more Russians are at risk of repression as Putin’s Russia heads toward totalitarianism
(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – January 27, 2016) There is an old observation that in a democracy, anything that isn’t prohibited is permitted; in an authoritarian system, anything that isn’t permitted is prohibited; and in a totalitarian one, anything that is permitted is compulsory and any failure to go along can result in arrest or worse. Judging from […]
» Read moreFour Russias: the new political reality
Uneven modernisation has left its mark on Russia, and the authorities are only too happy to exploit it. What does the future hold for Russia’s regional divide? (opendemocracy.net/American Enterprise Institute – Natalia Zubarevich – February 1, 2016) Natalia Zubarevich is a professor in the Department of Geography at Moscow State University and the director of the regional program at the […]
» Read moreFukuyama: ‘Putinism,’ Radical Islam No Alternative To Liberal Democracy
(RFE/RL – January 29, 2016) Russian President Vladimir Putin and the extremist Islamic State group are sworn enemies that might seem to have little in common. But both are engaged in efforts at state building that U.S. political scientist Francis Fukuyama says share two qualities: each seeks to create a political alternative to a modern liberal democracy, and each is […]
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