Institute of Modern Russia

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Law

Estonia: Small Country, Great Achievements

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05 March 2012

Ekaterina Mishina

In the two decades since restoring its independence, Estonia has proved to be a very successful reformer. The Little Country That Could got its epithet from Mart Laar, the former Prime Minister and current the Minister of Defense in Estonia. Laar is considered to be the father of the economic reforms that served as the catalysts to the country’s rapid development over the course of the past 20 years. Laar's reforms were acknowledged as the most successful and comprehensive in the region and are used as a model for other countries with transitional economies.

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News

Putin’s Pyrrhic Victory

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02 March 2012

On the eve of the presidential elections, experts on Russia discussed their predictions for the results and their consequences. Although no one doubts the victory of Vladimir Putin, many say that the regime is doomed, and its downfall is only a matter of time.

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Nation

Two Putins?

One Last Word Before the Elections

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29 February 2012

You can’t keep up with Putin: in one month he publishes six articles, each one the size of a full newspaper page! And combines this with his duties as the Prime Minister of an enormous country… A real Stakhanovite.

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Economics

Putin and Populism: A Ticking Time-Bomb

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28 February 2012

Pavel Ivlev

On February 13th, Komsomolskaya Pravda published an article by Vladimir Putin called “Developing Fairness: The Social Welfare State.” In this piece, Putin voiced a number of new promises aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable groups such as public sector employees (doctors, teachers), pensioners, students, and military personnel.  According to financial specialists, the proposed plan could cost 5 trillion rubles. The Ministry of Finance gives a smaller estimate, nearly 1 trillion rubles. Whatever the figure, the questions of economic and social reform stand. Without reforms, says IMR Director Pavel Ivlev, the growth of social infrastructure expenses will significantly contribute to macroeconomic instability in Russia.

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Law

The Best and Worst of The Semi-Presidential Scenarios

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21 February 2012

Ekaterina Mishina

Prof. Ekaterina Mishina compares the implementation of the semipresidential system in Russia, France, and Kyrgyzstan, pointing to the abuses of power that may result from it.

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Nation

Putin’s Cheat Sheet

Reflections of an Historian

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14 February 2012

Alexander Yanov

In a recent article, Vladimir Putin plagiarized points of a nationalist agenda  from a number of sources. Historian Alexander Yanov discusses the lesser-known inspiration for Putin's ideas, 19th century Slavophile thinker Nikolai Danilevsky.

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Economics

Will the Small Cities of Russia Survive?

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07 February 2012

Irina Suvorova

Russian financial policy expert Irina Suvorova analyzes the situation with small and mid-sized cities in Russia today, criticizing the position voiced by the Minister of Economic Development Elvira Nabiullina at the 2011 Moscow Urban Forum.

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Nation

HIV/AIDS and TB: IMR Against Social Indifference

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07 February 2012

Olga Khvostunova

The Institute of Modern Russia is launching an initiative to raise awareness of the disastrous state of affairs with HIV/AIDS and TB in Russia. The irresponsible and inhumane attitude of the Russian government toward the socially vulnerable group suffering from these infectious diseases is among the greatest horrors of the present situation in the country. In most first-world nations, HIV/AIDS and TB have been taken under state control, ceased to be taboo subjects, and have been destigmatized. This is not the case in Russia or the former Soviet republics, where independent observers report that the incidence of TB and HIV/AIDS have reached epidemic levels. But, despite these grim figures, the authorities have not only ignored this problem, but also actively suppress information surrounding it. People are largely unaware that a significant proportion of Russians are TB carriers. In carriers, when the immune system is compromised, for example, if they have HIV, tuberculosis may progress to an acute form very quickly.

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Nation

No one cares about them

HIV/AIDS and TB: IMR Against Social Indifference

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07 February 2012

Olga Khvostunova

In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 190,000 new cases of tuberculosis in Russia. This number is 5-8 times the incidence for most other European nations. In addition, many contract TB because they are not being properly treated for HIV/AIDS. Despite the enormity of these figures, the Russian government and media have yet to address tuberculosis as a critical issue in public health. IMR’s Olga Khvostunova spoke to New York photographer Michael Friedman, who recently completed a series documenting the epidemic in Russia and other CIS countries.

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News

Support Fair Elections in Russia on February 4th, 2012

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30 January 2012

A third rally in protest of electoral fraud in Russia will be held in front of the Russian Consulate General in New York City on Saturday, February 4th2012 at 12 PM. The Institute of Modern Russia supports Russian citizens in their efforts to defend their basic civil liberties and forge down a path toward a democratic society. We invite all those who wish to support democracy in Russia to join us.