Institute of Modern Russia

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Nation

The Unlearned Lessons: International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism

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06 November 2013

Boris Bruk

November 9 is the International Day against Fascism and Anti-Semitism, an annual commemoration of Kristallnacht. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the anti-Semitic pogroms in Nazi Germany that became the starting point of the Holocaust. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk recalls the events of November 1938, and draws parallels with present-day Russia.

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Politics

A Doctor for Medvedev

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05 November 2013

Tatiana Stanovaya

In October, the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights and Human Welfare Gennady Onishchenko—a legendary figure in Russian politics—lost his job. He was a key player in the Kremlin’s introduction of trade sanctions against “problem countries.” Sources in the media say that a possible reason for his resignation was mental insanity. However, political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya believes that insanity has become the norm in Russia’s new political reality.

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Politics

Russia and China Move Closer to Energy Partnership

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04 November 2013

Donald N. Jensen

The visit by Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to China once again highlighted the strategic importance that Moscow attaches to Asia. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, notes that the prospects for cooperation with Beijing may not be as good as the Kremlin hopes.

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Law

The Soviet Legacy: The Impact of Early Bolshevik Law Felt Up to the Present

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01 November 2013

Ekaterina Mishina

The early Soviet criminal norms formed the basis for arbitrary interpretation and selective application of the law, as well as for judicial arbitrariness. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent Russian legal expert, contends that the legacy of that era is still being felt.

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Nation

Russia Is Above the Law: Where Pogroms Could Lead

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30 October 2013

Tatiana Stanovaya

In mid-October, after the murder of 25-year-old Yegor Shcherbakov in Moscow’s Biryulyovo district, allegedly by a man from the Caucasus region, local residents supported by nationalist organizations stormed a wholesale vegetable market mainly employing migrant workers. Such ethnic violence is becoming increasingly frequent in Russia. According to political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, racial tension is a time bomb that may have dire consequences for the country.

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Politics

Apocalyptic Forecast for Russia

Ilan Berman’s new book, Implosion: The End of Russia and What It Means for America

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29 October 2013

Daria Mattis

This fall, prominent U.S. political scientist Ilan Berman presented his new book titled Implosion: The End of Russia and What It Means for America, in which he analyzes Russia’s transformation and identifies a number of key trends that define its domestic and foreign policies. Harriman Institute Visiting Scholar Daria Mattis reviews the book.

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Nation

Ten Myths About Migrants

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28 October 2013

Alexander Podrabinek

The “migrant issue” is being presented as one of the main pressure points in Russian society. Author and human rights activist Alexander Podrabinek discusses the ten most popular myths about migrants—and debunks nine of them.

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Nation

The Catastrophe: Russia and the First World War

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25 October 2013

Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of articles by prominent historian Alexander Yanov. In the new installment the author discusses whether it was possible for Russia to avoid the Bolshevik coup d'état of 1917—and why it did not.

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World

Moscow Sees Washington Shutdown as Sign of U.S. Decline

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24 October 2013

Donald N. Jensen

The recent U.S. government shutdown was widely discussed in the Russian media. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, notes that the general tone of the comments was markedly less anti-American than usual.

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Politics

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Kremlin’s Prisoner

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24 October 2013

Vladimir Kara-Murza

On October 25, 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, head of the Yukos oil company and chairman of the Open Russia Foundation, was arrested at the Novosibirsk airport. A decade later, he remains Russia’s most prominent political prisoner. IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza considers that day to have been the turning point in the modern history of Russia, and the Khodorkovsky case to be the most vivid symbol of the country’s authoritarian regime.