Analysis - Institute of Modern Russia

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Magnitsky Act Passes, Russia Reacts

Details: Nation

Magnitsky Act Passes, Russia Reacts

Details: 09 July 2012; Olga Khvostunova

On June 26th, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Magnitsky Act, a bill prohibiting foreign human rights violators from entering the U.S. and giving the government the right to freeze their American bank accounts. While it was being developed, it became a source of tension in U.S.-Russian relations. As a result, in response to the bill’s passage, Russian authorities have aimed their ire at foreign-backed NGOs. Nonetheless, despite the bill’s symbolic significance, it will not seriously impact the bilateral relations between Russia and the United States, argues IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova.

The Human Rights Council Deprived of its Rights

Details: Politics

The Human Rights Council Deprived of its Rights

Details: 03 July 2012; Tatiana Stanovaya

The Kremlin has been pursuing an increasingly hardline policy toward autonomous and opposition-minded agencies. The law on the liability for participating or organizing protests has been made more punitive; opposition leaders have been subjected to apartment searches; the authorities have made the first arrests of the so-called 'provocateurs'. Now the Kremlin is flexing its muscle by imposing new regulations on the Presidential Council on Civil Society Development and Human Rights. Officials apparently believe that government-affiliated body has failed Putin's test of loyalty. The chasm between government and society is seemingly becoming unbridgeable. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the Center of Political Technologies analytics department, describes the intricacies of the relationship between Russian human rights advocates and the government.

Spies at the Museum

Details: World

Spies at the Museum

Details: 02 July 2012

On June 27th, 2012 the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. held a lecture entitled "The Russian Illegals Two Years Later: What Did It Mean?" Renowned intelligence historian and technical advisor to the U.S. Secret Service H. Keith Melton told the story of the Russian spies that rocked U.S.-Russia relations in July 2010. Guest of honor retired KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin decried the spies as absurd and said the Russian government was wasting its money.

Details: Nation

On Superpowers

Details: 28 June 2012; Alexander Yanov

For nearly a decade, challenging United States' dominance on the global arena has been the ideological cornerstone of Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy. However, although they call for a multi-polar world order, what Russian diplomats really want is to restore Russia’s lost grandeur and overthrow America as a superpower. With prominent examples from European history, Aleksander Yanov demonstrates how the absence of a global leader, such as the United States today, could hurl the world into chaos.

Russia's Natural Resources: A Mixed Blessing

Details: Economics

Russia's Natural Resources: A Mixed Blessing

Details: 26 June 2012; Igor Booth

Dependence on oil exportation is one of the most controversial issues in Russian economics. In the course of many discussions, natural resources go from being considered a boon to being seen as a burden. However, as an independent financial analyst Igor Booth argues, the decelerated growth of the oil industry poses a much bigger threat than the Russian economy’s distorted structure. The economy will only grow if the state policies regulating the energy sector are overhauled and public perceptions of the "oil curse" are overcome.

Politics Without Dialogue

Details: Nation

Politics Without Dialogue

Details: 21 June 2012; Olga Khvostunova

Russian authorities continue to test the opposition movement’s strength and determination. Earlier this month, a week before the March of Millions, the Duma passed a series of controversial amendments to the law on demonstrations. Several days later, the Investigative Committee of Russia searched the residences of prominent opposition leaders. According to IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova, the Kremlin’s inability to engage in a dialogue with the opposition is what will lead to the further escalation of this conflict.

Vladimir Tumanov: A Master Lawyer Remembered

Details: Law

Vladimir Tumanov: A Master Lawyer Remembered

Details: 19 June 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

June 9, 2012 marked the first anniversary of the death of Vladimir Tumanov, a distinguished Russian lawyer, the former Chairman of the Russian Federation Constitutional Court (1995-97), and the first Russian judge to be appointed to the European Court for Human Rights. Just before this anniversary, Ekaterina Mishina spoke with some of his prominent former colleagues who shared their recollections about Tumanov's work, personality, and his role in developing Russian legal theory and culture.

The Kremlin’s Five Strategic Errors

Details: Politics

The Kremlin’s Five Strategic Errors

Details: 15 June 2012; Tatiana Stanovaya

On June 11th, 2012, a day before one of Russian opposition’s largest protest rallies, law enforcement officials conducted searches of ten opposition leaders’ apartments, including those of lawyer Alexey Navalny, Left Front leader Sergey Udaltsov, television personality Ksenia Sobchak, and Solidarnost' Movement leaders Boris Nemtsov and Ilya Yashin. The opposition leaders were also summoned for interrogations, all of which were scheduled for June 12th at 11 AM, that is, an hour before the March of the Millions was set to start. The news of these raids spread through the Russian Internet like wildfire. On Twitter, #privet37 (“Hello,1937”, referencing the year when Stalin’s mass executions of “enemies of the people” reached their peak), appeared in the top five worldwide trending topics several times throughout the course of the day. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the Center for Political Technologies analytics department, presents her take on the Kremlin’s rationale.

The Kremlin’s Vanity Fair

Details: World

The Kremlin’s Vanity Fair

Details: 13 June 2012

The largest annual book trade fair in the United States, BookExpo America (BEA), was held in New York City June 4-7, 2012. For the first time in BookExpo’s history, Russia was named the guest of honor. Through the efforts of the Kremlin, over fifty of Russia's most renowned writers and numerous publishers were brought together in an unprecedentedly extensive program. However, questions remain regarding the showcase's intentions.

Igor Sechin: The Kremlin’s Gray Eminence

Details: Economics

Igor Sechin: The Kremlin’s Gray Eminence

Details: 11 June 2012; Caterina Innocente

The Russian establishment was holding its collective breath in anticipation of May 22nd, when they were to find out what post Igor Sechin, Russia’s powerful Deputy Prime Minister, the ideologue behind the Yukos affair, and Vladimir Putin’s former KGB colleague, would occupy in Putin’s new Kremlin. IMR's Caterina Innocente describes Sechin's great strides toward fulfilling his dream of leading an international business empire.

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