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Courts and the Media: A Loveless Story? Part 1

Details: 05 December 2011; Ekaterina Mishina

Today there are obvious reasons to believe that the third and fourth branches of power, the courts and the media, have developed a serious distaste for each other, and that this dislike is so strong that there is no room for a mutual compromise. Both operate in an atmosphere of distrust and suspicion, a situation that doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s no surprise that both branches — not to mention ordinary citizens — are unhappy.

Details: Nation

Bridge Over the Abyss

Details: 03 December 2011; Alexander Yanov

The idea of my previous essay was to convince readers that today’s Russia and its future is challenged on an existential level as seriously as it was during the times of Peter the Great. History — then and now — has presented us with a dilemma: do we change or do we degrade? The degradation in question being irreversible. Therefore, the motto I suggested for the future leader of the opposition is substantially the same one as Peter the Great's: "Become Europe to survive!"

Details: Nation

Illegitimate Elections

Details: 24 November 2011; Georgy Satarov

"And just when everybody in the country has gotten got sick and tired of barefaced cynics and of the mediocrity and thievery of the Russian authorities, when the population is finally beginning to wake up, remembering that they are, in fact, citizens of this country, the opposition finds itself immersed in debates over indistinguishable dilemmas that drive potential supporters almost to a nervous breakdown", says Georgy Satarov, the Russian mathematician, political scientist and a former aide to President Boris Eltsin.

Details: Events

Three Scenarios of the Russian Opposition

Details: 15 February 2012

On February 9, the Institute of Modern Russia and the Harriman Institute (Columbia University) hosted a panel discussion entitled “Does the Russian Opposition Have a Plan for the Upcoming Presidential Elections?” The panelists proposed several scenario that may resolve the political crisis in Russia, such as transition presidency, a roundtable negotiation between the authorities and opposition leaders, and a new parliamentary election.

Details: Law

Tamara Morschakova: Recent Changes in Russian Legislation Resulted in a Considerable Decrease of the Legal Status of the Constitutional Court

Details: 16 November 2011; Ekaterina Mishina

Prof. Tamara Morschakova, Ph.D. is prominent Russian lawyer. From 1991 to 2002 Prof. Morschakova served as the Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Russian Federation. Ekaterina Mishina met with her in Moscow to discuss the future of constitutional justice in Russia.

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