All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

How Gazprom Snoozed through the “Shale Gas Revolution”

Details: Economics

How Gazprom Snoozed through the “Shale Gas Revolution”

Details: 05 February 2013; Olga Khvostunova

The "shale gas revolution" in the United States is changing the world’s energy map. The International Energy Agency’s latest predictions suggest that by 2035 America will have become the world’s largest gas producer, outpacing Russia. Until recently, Gazprom, Russia’s natural gas monopoly, has been skeptical about such forecasts. As IMR Analyst Olga Khvostunova points out, Gazprom’s lack of long-term vision can have negative implications both for the company and for the country.

2013 Summer Institute at Columbia University to Study Russian-Speaking Diaspora

Details: Nation

2013 Summer Institute at Columbia University to Study Russian-Speaking Diaspora

Details: 05 February 2013

On June 9-29, 2013, Columbia University will host a three-week institute entitled “America’s Russian-Speaking Immigrants and Refugees: 20th Century Migration and Memory,” sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The institute welcomes college and university teachers and independent scholars to apply to this special program designed to enrich their understanding of the four waves of Russian-speaking immigration to the United States.

Putin’s Tricks, or Where Do Elections Go?

Details: Politics

Putin’s Tricks, or Where Do Elections Go?

Details: 01 February 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

One of the riddles of the first year of Vladimir Putin’s “new” presidency has been the return of direct gubernatorial elections and their subsequent rollback. One can find a great many analytical materials on this subject in Russian media, but the “home kitchen” remains off-screen. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers why the Kremlin reversed its own decision.

"Photo51 – Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA?" To Open in New York

Details: News

"Photo51 – Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA?" To Open in New York

Details: 31 January 2013

The Institute of Modern Russia and 287 Spring are honored to present the first solo New York exhibition of Misha Friedman’s photographic project "PHOTO51 – Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA?," which explores the painful reality of the modern Russian state, where corruption, in its various manifestations, has pervaded the daily lives of common citizens and the ruling elites alike.

Sacrificial Offering à la Homo Sovieticus

Details: Law

Sacrificial Offering à la Homo Sovieticus

Details: 31 January 2013; Ekaterina Mishina

The Kremlin’s decision to retaliate against Russian orphans after the passage of the U.S. Magnitsky Act was a continuation of Soviet traditions. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent Russian legal expert, notes that the entire history of the USSR was marked by a hypocritical “care for children.”

Back on the Leash: The End for A Just Russia

Details: Politics

Back on the Leash: The End for A Just Russia

Details: 29 January 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

A Just Russia, one of Russia’s four parliamentary parties, has demanded that four of its members, prominent opposition activists Dmitri Gudkov, Gennady Gudkov, Ilya Ponomarev, and Oleg Shein, sever all links with the protest movement. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza argues that this ultimatum, which marks the end of A Just Russia’s cooperation with the pro-democracy opposition, leaves the party without a political future.

Corruption in Russia as a Business

Details: Nation

Corruption in Russia as a Business

Details: 29 January 2013; Alexandra Kalinina

Transparency International has ranked Russia 133rd in its recently-published 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index. The previous year, Russia was ranked 143rd. Is this improvement a result of effective anticorruption measures by the Russian government, or just a different methodology of calculation? According to economist Alexandra Kalinina, despite the improved score, corruption in Russia remains “not a problem, but a business.”

A Case in Point

Details: Politics

A Case in Point

Details: 28 January 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

Eduard Limonov’s support for the “scoundrels’ law,” which banned adoptions of Russian orphans by U.S. citizens, has finally ended the alliance between liberals and National Bolsheviks. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek, who has long warned the democratic opposition against cooperating with Limonov, discusses Russian liberals’ strange attraction to the enemies of freedom.

The End for Ballot Riggers

Details: Politics

The End for Ballot Riggers

Details: 24 January 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

The “March against Scoundrels” recently held in Moscow demonstrated that protest sentiments in large Russian cities have not decreased, and that the rallies’ success is largely determined by their subject. As the 2011–2012 protests have shown, election fraud is becoming of the most topical issues for Russia’s civil society. For the first time in years, the opposition is trying to take part in the formation of precinct electoral commissions that organize the voting. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers what may come out of it.

Obama’s Second Term: “Reset” or Rethink on Russia?

Details: World

Obama’s Second Term: “Reset” or Rethink on Russia?

Details: 23 January 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

As U.S. President Barack Obama begins his second term, IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza ponders whether there will now be a rethinking of the White House policy on Russia – or whether the administration will continue its “reset” with Vladimir Putin.

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