Institute of Modern Russia

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Nation

Between Pass and Fail (A Historian’s Perspective)

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04 January 2013

Alexander Yanov

In his recent state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that only those countries which prevail in the battle for the intellect will survive the global competition. However, according to historian and IMR Advisor Alexander Yanov, the Russian leader’s own intellectual level does not leave the country under his rule a serious chance for success.

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Politics

Vladimir Bukovsky: “The Collapse of the System Could Happen Quite Soon”

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03 January 2013

Olga Khvostunova

This spring, Russia will see a new wave of protests, which could lead to a change in government and to the collapse of the current political system. Such is the view of Russian writer Vladimir Bukovsky, a legendary Soviet-era dissident and a leader of the opposition “Solidarity” movement, who spoke with IMR’s Olga Khvostunova.

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Nation

A Life of Integrity: Vladimir Bukovsky at 70

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28 December 2012

Vladimir Kara-Murza

On December 30, Vladimir Bukovsky – writer, scientist, human rights campaigner, and one of the founders of the dissident movement in the USSR – will celebrate his 70th birthday. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza recalls the milestones in Bukovsky’s life – and urges the present-day Russian opposition to heed his advice.

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Politics

Clueless in the Kremlin: Vladimir Putin’s Press Conference

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28 December 2012

Tatiana Stanovaya

On December 20, the “Day of the Chekist [Soviet secret police officer],” Vladimir Putin held his annual press conference. The event was expected to be the traditional end-of-year public relations show by Russia’s head of state who has always used such occasions to demonstrate his self-confidence. This time, however, it did not turn out as planned. According to Tatyana Stanovaya, chief of the analytical department of the Center of Political Technologies and IMR advisor, this was the first time that Putin did not control the conversation and appeared visibly weak.

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News

Photo 51 Project: “Is Corruption in Russia’s DNA?”

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27 December 2012

On December 18th, one of the gravest problems of today’s Russia—corruption—was visualized and discussed in New York’s Half King bar where Misha Friedman, an up-and-coming New York photographer, presented his recent works at a preview of his Photo 51 Project. He was joined by Peter Klebnikov, Chief Editor at the Environmental Defense Fund, and Anna Van Lenten, co-curator of photography series at Half King. The Photo 51 Project is sponsored by the Institute of Modern Russia; it will premiere on February 15th at 287 Spring Gallery in New York.

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Politics

The Autumn of the Dictator. Part Three

Opposition

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26 December 2012

Olga Khvostunova

The Institute of Modern Russia completes its series of articles on the political history of contemporary Belarus. In the first two installments, we discussed Alexander Lukashenko's dashing rise to power and the country's transformation under his 18 year-long rule. In the concluding part, we'll focus on various efforts that Belarusian opposition puts into the struggle with Lukashenko's regime. Today, with Belarusian economy sagging and the country's model of "social protectionism at the expense of political freedoms" failing to deliver, it seems that the last dictatorship is Europe is entering its twilight.

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Law

The Fight Against Corruption as a New Year’s Present

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26 December 2012

Ekaterina Mishina

On January 1, a new federal law designed to establish oversight over the expenditures of public officials and reduce the scope of corruption takes effect in Russia. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent Russian legal expert, warns against a rush to judgment and suggests that the effectiveness of the anti-corruption law can only be measured by its future enforcement.

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Politics

Putin’s Address, or Playing the Spiritual Leader

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21 December 2012

Tatiana Stanovaya

On December 12, Vladimir Putin delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address. This address had been eagerly anticipated, since it would be the president’s first statement of policy since the winter protests, following on the heels of a significant toughening-up of legislation and the beginning of persecution of the opposition. The question the public wanted answered was what would the “Putin line” be in these new political realities? Tatyana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center of Political Technologies and an advisor at the IMR, tries to read between the lines of Putin’s answer.

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Politics

Putin's Response

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20 December 2012

Vladimir Kara-Murza

In response to the passage of the Magnitsky Act in the U.S., Russia’s authorities are introducing a blanket ban on adoptions of Russian children by American citizens. The Kremlin’s behavior has already been compared to that of the terrorists who use children as a “human shield.” According to IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza, the Putin regime is reaching a new level of turpitude.

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World

Leon Aron: “The U.S. Stance on Russia is a Major Factor of Domestic Legitimization of the Regime”

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20 December 2012

Olga Khvostunova

The relationship between the United States and Russia is going through a difficult time. The “reset” policy has come to a logical end, but new ways of cooperation have not yet been found. The scope of the mutual agenda has narrowed. As Leon Aron, director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), points out, within the given context, reelected U.S. president Barack Obama’s stance on Russia will be a key factor in determining the future of this relationship. Dr. Aron spoke of the priorities of U.S. foreign policy and this policy’s influence on the Russian regime with IMR’s Olga Khvostunova.