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Pavel Khodorkovsky’s Statement on Igor Sechin’s Houston Speech

Details: Economics

Pavel Khodorkovsky’s Statement on Igor Sechin’s Houston Speech

Details: 13 March 2013

Last week, in a special address to the IHS CERAWeek Conference in Houston, Texas, Igor Sechin, the president of the Rosneft oil company, majority-owned by the Russian state, unveiled the company’s international strategy, including the development of an oilfield in the Vankor region of Eastern Siberia, which he described as “the largest new oil development project in post-Soviet Russia.” In response to Sechin’s address, IMR President Pavel Khodorkovsky issued the following statement.

Details: Law

Lèse-majesté

Details: 12 March 2013; Ekaterina Mishina

The Russian State Duma is considering Kremlin-sponsored amendments to the Civil Code that concern the “protection of honor, dignity and business reputation.” According to IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent Russian legal expert, these proposals threaten to introduce in Russia the practice of public book-burning once perfected in the Third Reich.

Stalin’s Long but Contradictory Shadow

Details: Nation

Stalin’s Long but Contradictory Shadow

Details: 11 March 2013; Donald N. Jensen

On March 5, Russians observed the sixtieth anniversary of the death of Josef Stalin, with the country divided over whether to view him as a tyrant who butchered millions of people or as a savior who defeated Hitler and transformed the nation into a superpower. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, notes that the current Russian regime frequently relies on Stalinist symbols and habits of governance.

Reform or Revolution: Vladimir Kara-Murza’s Book Presented in New York

Details: Nation

Reform or Revolution: Vladimir Kara-Murza’s Book Presented in New York

Details: 11 March 2013

On March 2, the Brooklyn Public Library hosted a discussion of Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma, a book by IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza.

“New Approach or Business as Usual?” Policymakers Discuss the West’s Relations with Russia

Details: World

“New Approach or Business as Usual?” Policymakers Discuss the West’s Relations with Russia

Details: 08 March 2013

On March 4th, policymakers, analysts, and human rights activists from Russia, the United States, and the European Union, gathered in Washington to discuss the prospects of the West’s relationship with Moscow. The forum entitled “New Approach or Business As Usual?” was co-hosted by the Institute of Modern Russia, the Foreign Policy Initiative, and Freedom House.

François Hollande. Mission: Possible

Details: Politics

François Hollande. Mission: Possible

Details: 07 March 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

François Hollande’s meeting with Vladimir Putin showed that Paris has firmly put human rights issues on the back burner. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek concludes that France’s president values corporate solidarity with the Kremlin leader more than his own nation’s interests or basic human decency.

Beware of Medvedev

Details: Politics

Beware of Medvedev

Details: 06 March 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

Dmitri Medvedev’s political capitulation that started in September 2011 with Vladimir Putin’s announcement of his return to the Kremlin has reached a new stage. With the diminution of the prime minister’s role, the positions of officials and businesses associated with him have started to crumble. Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya talks about those who have lost out in the wake of Medvedev’s weakened position.

Putin’s Foreign Policy Framework Outlines a New Course

Details: Politics

Putin’s Foreign Policy Framework Outlines a New Course

Details: 03 March 2013; Donald N. Jensen

The new Russian foreign policy concept signed by Vladimir Putin lists the Kremlin’s traditional grievances against the West and promises to rely on “soft power” in international affairs. According to Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, for all its “soft power,” Russia will be unable to improve its image in the world until it begins to change internally.

The Intricacies of Migration

Details: Nation

The Intricacies of Migration

Details: 28 February 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

The Russian government has a contradictory attitude toward immigration. Visa-free travel with Central Asian countries facilitates labor migration, yet a negative public attitude toward migrants is being encouraged. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek considers why the Kremlin benefits from such a state of affairs.

Duma Member Dmitri Gudkov: “This is the Agony of the Regime”

Details: Politics

Duma Member Dmitri Gudkov: “This is the Agony of the Regime”

Details: 26 February 2013; Olga Khvostunova

State Duma Member Dmitri Gudkov is a rare opposition voice in the Russian legislature. February 23 marked the official expiration of the ultimatum presented to Gudkov and to his father, Gennady: the leader of A Just Russia party, Sergei Mironov, demanded that they choose between their affiliation with the Coordinating Council of the Opposition and their membership in the party structures. Since the Gudkovs have refused to leave the opposition council, they will both be expelled from A Just Russia’s governing bodies. Dmitri Gudkov spoke with IMR’s Olga Khvostunova about the party's prospects and the political situation in Russia.

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