All Articles - Institute of Modern Russia

Spies at the Museum

Details: World

Spies at the Museum

Details: 02 July 2012

On June 27th, 2012 the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. held a lecture entitled "The Russian Illegals Two Years Later: What Did It Mean?" Renowned intelligence historian and technical advisor to the U.S. Secret Service H. Keith Melton told the story of the Russian spies that rocked U.S.-Russia relations in July 2010. Guest of honor retired KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin decried the spies as absurd and said the Russian government was wasting its money.

Details: Nation

On Superpowers

Details: 28 June 2012; Alexander Yanov

For nearly a decade, challenging United States' dominance on the global arena has been the ideological cornerstone of Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. However, although they call for a multi-polar world order, what Russian diplomats really want is to restore Russia’s lost grandeur and overthrow America as a superpower. With prominent examples from European history, Aleksander Yanov demonstrates how the absence of a global leader, such as the United States today, could hurl the world into chaos.

Russia's Natural Resources: A Mixed Blessing

Details: Economics

Russia's Natural Resources: A Mixed Blessing

Details: 26 June 2012; Igor Booth

Dependence on oil exportation is one of the most controversial issues in Russian economics. In the course of many discussions, natural resources go from being considered a boon to being seen as a burden. However, as an independent financial analyst Igor Booth argues, the decelerated growth of the oil industry poses a much bigger threat than the Russian economy’s distorted structure. The economy will only grow if the state policies regulating the energy sector are overhauled and public perceptions of the "oil curse" are overcome.

Politics Without Dialogue

Details: Nation

Politics Without Dialogue

Details: 21 June 2012; Olga Khvostunova

Russian authorities continue to test the opposition movement’s strength and determination. Earlier this month, a week before the March of Millions, the Duma passed a series of controversial amendments to the law on demonstrations. Several days later, the Investigative Committee of Russia searched the residences of prominent opposition leaders. According to IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova, the Kremlin’s inability to engage in a dialogue with the opposition is what will lead to the further escalation of this conflict.

Vladimir Tumanov: A Master Lawyer Remembered

Details: Law

Vladimir Tumanov: A Master Lawyer Remembered

Details: 19 June 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

June 9, 2012 marked the first anniversary of the death of Vladimir Tumanov, a distinguished Russian lawyer, the former Chairman of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court (1995-97), and the first Russian judge to be appointed to the European Court for Human Rights. Just before this anniversary, Ekaterina Mishina spoke with some of his prominent former colleagues who shared their recollections about Tumanov's work, personality, and his role in developing Russian legal theory and culture.

The Kremlin’s Five Strategic Errors

Details: Politics

The Kremlin’s Five Strategic Errors

Details: 15 June 2012; Tatiana Stanovaya

On June 11th, 2012, a day before one of Russian opposition’s largest protest rallies, law enforcement officials conducted searches of ten opposition leaders’ apartments, including those of lawyer Alexey Navalny, Left Front leader Sergey Udaltsov, television personality Ksenia Sobchak, and Solidarnost' Movement leaders Boris Nemtsov and Ilya Yashin. The opposition leaders were also summoned for interrogations, all of which were scheduled for June 12th at 11 AM, that is, an hour before the March of the Millions was set to start. The news of these raids spread through the Russian Internet like wildfire. On Twitter, #privet37 (“Hello,1937”, referencing the year when Stalin’s mass executions of “enemies of the people” reached their peak), appeared in the top five worldwide trending topics several times throughout the course of the day. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the Center for Political Technologies analytics department, presents her take on the Kremlin’s rationale.

The Kremlin’s Vanity Fair

Details: World

The Kremlin’s Vanity Fair

Details: 13 June 2012

The largest annual book trade fair in the United States, BookExpo America (BEA), was held in New York City June 4-7, 2012. For the first time in BookExpo’s history, Russia was named the guest of honor. Through the efforts of the Kremlin, over fifty of Russia's most renowned writers and numerous publishers were brought together in an unprecedentedly extensive program. However, questions remain regarding the showcase's intentions.

Igor Sechin: The Kremlin’s Gray Eminence

Details: Economics

Igor Sechin: The Kremlin’s Gray Eminence

Details: 11 June 2012; Caterina Innocente

The Russian establishment was holding its collective breath in anticipation of May 22nd, when they were to find out what post Igor Sechin, Russia’s powerful Deputy Prime Minister, the ideologue behind the Yukos affair, and Vladimir Putin’s former KGB colleague, would occupy in Putin’s new Kremlin. IMR's Caterina Innocente describes Sechin's great strides toward fulfilling his dream of leading an international business empire.

Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin: In Anticipation of a Monument

Details: Nation

Russian Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin: In Anticipation of a Monument

Details: 07 June 2012; Alexander Yanov

With the erection of a monument in the center of Moscow this coming September, Pyotr Stolypin, Prime Minister of Russia (1906-1911), is to be memorialized by Putin's regime on the 100-year anniversary of his assassination. Historian Alexander Yanov puts this glorification of Putin's favorite historial figure in perspective, highlighting Stolypin's brutal and autocratic policies that paved the way for the Bolshevik terror—and beyond.

The Khodorkovsky Syndrome

Details: Law

The Khodorkovsky Syndrome

Details: 05 June 2012

In December 2010, entrepreneur Sergei Kolesnikov took a stand against the evils of Putin's regime in an open letter to Dmitry Medvedev about the so-called "Putin's Palace." Since then, Kolesnikov has continued his mission to spread awareness of the rampant corruption among Russia's power elite. The Institute of Modern Russia is proud to present an English translation of article by Mr. Kolesnikov that first appeared on his website.

Our newsletter delivers a digest of analytical articles and op-eds published on our website, along with the latest updates on the IMR activities on a monthly basis.