Analysis - Institute of Modern Russia

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Hasni Abidi: ‘By Supporting Assad, Moscow Will Create the Conditions for ISIS to Prosper’

Details: World

Hasni Abidi: ‘By Supporting Assad, Moscow Will Create the Conditions for ISIS to Prosper’

Details: 01 October 2015; Elena Servettaz

Last week, the Syria crisis became the central focus of the international agenda and was the key issue discussed at the 70th UN General Assembly. Just before Russia launched its first air strikes in Syria, journalist Elena Servettaz spoke with political analyst and Arab world expert Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Study and Research Center for the Arab and Mediterranean World, about the consequences of Moscow’s support for Bashar Assad.

Putin’s Fake Victory at the UN

Details: Politics

Putin’s Fake Victory at the UN

Details: 30 September 2015; Olga Khvostunova

On September 28, Vladimir Putin addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the first time in 10 years. The Russian president’s visit drew close attention from around the world and provoked intense media interest. The results of the trip, however, were quite modest. Imrussia.org editor-in-chief Olga Khvostunova examines the underlying reasons for Putin’s visit to New York.

Russia’s Heirs to Tolstoyevsky

Details: Nation

Russia’s Heirs to Tolstoyevsky

Details: 28 September 2015; Bradley Gorski

Casual observers of Russia often lament that the country’s once-vaunted culture no longer produces novelists of caliber equal to Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. But in fact, the world of contemporary Russian literature is vibrant and includes several novelists known for their grand realist works. These books are not only striking pieces of prose, but also valuable windows into modern-day Russian society, according to Bradley Gorski, a Ph.D. candidate in Slavic Studies at Columbia University.

Protests in Moldova: Dignity and Truth vs. Euro-Imitators

Details: World

Protests in Moldova: Dignity and Truth vs. Euro-Imitators

Details: 23 September 2015; Vladimir Solovyev

In early September, a group in Moldova called Dignity and Truth led a protest of several thousand supporters of Euro-integration against the country’s ostensibly pro-Europe government. In the opinion of journalist Vladimir Solovyev, the protesters might be able to force early elections, but the true winners of the confrontation could end up being pro-Russian political forces.

Constitutionalism vs. the ‘Russian Matrix.’ Part 1

Details: Law

Constitutionalism vs. the ‘Russian Matrix.’ Part 1

Details: 22 September 2015; Vladimir Pastukhov

In the West, it is taken for granted that a nation needs a constitution in order to function. But Russia, in many ways, lives more by social codes than by the country’s Constitution. Does the country even need a constitution? If so, what can be done to make it work more effectively? Political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov, who holds a doctorate in political science and is a visiting fellow at St. Antony’s College of Oxford University, takes an in-depth look at Russian constitutionalism in part one of a periodic series.

Crisis in Emerging Markets: Is Russia Better Off Than Brazil?

Details: World

Crisis in Emerging Markets: Is Russia Better Off Than Brazil?

Details: 21 September 2015; Ezekiel Pfeifer

The BRIC nations have lost some of their luster recently, due to the crash in commodity prices and chronic low demand in the West. How does the economic situation in Russia compare to that in Brazil, India and China? In part one of a three-part series, IMR analyst Ezekiel Pfeifer compares Russia to Brazil, where the economy is strikingly similar to that of Russia but where the political system sets the country apart.

Kadyrov, Putin, and the Whitewashing of the Nemtsov Investigation

Details: Politics

Kadyrov, Putin, and the Whitewashing of the Nemtsov Investigation

Details: 14 September 2015; Donald N. Jensen

Six months after the murder of Boris Nemtsov, it seems increasingly likely that the man suspected of ordering the killing will avoid criminal charges, thanks to his close connections to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. This protection granted to Kadyrov and his inner circle by Vladimir Putin could eventually result in a major crisis for the Russian government, argues Donald Jensen, resident fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations.

Does Anyone Want Ukraine’s Donbass?

Details: World

Does Anyone Want Ukraine’s Donbass?

Details: 10 September 2015; Luke Johnson

Fighting between Ukraine and the Russian-backed rebels of Luhansk and Donetsk has quieted in recent weeks, but there is little clarity about the future of the two breakaway regions. Will Ukraine succeed in reintegrating them? Or will Russia attempt to annex them? The situation remains murky, but some meaningful clues exist regarding what might happen next to the war-torn territory, writes independent journalist Luke Johnson.

Russia’s $100 Billion Pension System Is a Dangerous Zombie. Part 2

Details: Economics

Russia’s $100 Billion Pension System Is a Dangerous Zombie. Part 2

Details: 03 September 2015; Ezekiel Pfeifer

In part one of this two-part story, IMR analyst Ezekiel Pfeifer examined how the Russian pension system managed to build up annual deficits of more than $50 billion. In part two, he attempts to answer the eternal Russian question in relation to this massive problem: What is to be done?

Russia’s $100 Billion Pension System Is a Dangerous Zombie. Part 1

Details: Economics

Russia’s $100 Billion Pension System Is a Dangerous Zombie. Part 1

Details: 02 September 2015; Ezekiel Pfeifer

According to current projections, Russia’s pension system faces annual deficits of more than $50 billion in the coming years, while the number of retirees is on the rise. The government has tinkered with the system in an attempt to fill the gap, but some experts insist that the changes have only made things worse. In part one of a two-part story, IMR analyst Ezekiel Pfeifer examines the origins of the pension system’s acute and chronic ailments.

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