NPR • The Guardian • The New York Times • Foreign Affairs • Carnegie Moscow Center
The results of Turkey’s recent parliamentary elections came as a surprise to many. For the first time in the last twelve years, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party received only 41 percent of the vote, thus losing its simple majority in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Political analysts characterize both Turkey and Russia as hybrid regimes; however, a comparative analysis of the two countries shows that despite him being an admirer of Putin’s policies, Erdogan is not destined to follow in the Russian leader’s footsteps.
In part one of his essay, prominent Russian media analyst Vasily Gatov explained the origins of Putin’s anti-Western narrative and the current Russian propaganda campaign. In this second installment, he focuses on the twisted logic behind this narrative and the mistakes of the West, and he provides recommendations on how to counter the Kremlin’s offensive.
The overwhelming scale and deeply destructive nature of the Kremlin’s information war has only recently drawn attention of the Western mainstream media and policymakers. In part one of his essay, prominent Russian media analyst Vasily Gatov, visiting fellow at the Center of Communication Leadership and Policy, University of Southern California, explains the origins of the Russian propaganda and Putin’s anti-Western narrative.
Brookings • Deutsche Welle • The Washington Post • The Guardian • The New York Times • Foreign Policy
Just as the International Federation of Association Football, better known as FIFA, is being hit by an enormous corruption scandal, Russian football is facing its own turmoil as well. Struggling with its own corruption issues, the economic recession, and construction delays in preparations for the 2018 World Cup, Moscow is having a hard time playing it cool. Given the country’s growing international isolation as a result of the Ukraine crisis, Vladimir Putin’s new “image project” might turn into another stress test for the regime.
During celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, saying it was meant to protect the USSR’s national security interests. IMR legal expert Ekaterina Mishina analyzes the pact, and the implications of its secret protocol, which are among the darkest and most shameful pages in Russian history.
The Moscow Times • The New York Times • Carnegie Moscow Center • The New Yorker • The Wall Street Journal
On May 28, the Atlantic Council in Washington D.C. hosted a presentation of two reports on the war in Ukraine. The first report, Putin: War, draws on materials collected by the late Boris Nemtsov and his allies and was presented in English for the first time. The other report, Putin’s War in Ukraine: Hiding in Plain Sight, was prepared by the Atlantic Council experts.
Russia Direct • The Ecologist • Forbes • The New Yorker • The Fiscal Times • The Associated Press
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