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A Case in Point

Details: 28 January 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

Eduard Limonov’s support for the “scoundrels’ law,” which banned adoptions of Russian orphans by U.S. citizens, has finally ended the alliance between liberals and National Bolsheviks. Author and analyst Alexander Podrabinek, who has long warned the democratic opposition against cooperating with Limonov, discusses Russian liberals’ strange attraction to the enemies of freedom.

Details: Politics

The End for Ballot Riggers

Details: 24 January 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

The “March against Scoundrels” recently held in Moscow demonstrated that protest sentiments in large Russian cities have not decreased, and that the rallies’ success is largely determined by their subject. As the 2011–2012 protests have shown, election fraud is becoming of the most topical issues for Russia’s civil society. For the first time in years, the opposition is trying to take part in the formation of precinct electoral commissions that organize the voting. Tatiana Stanovaya, head of the analytical department at the Center for Political Technologies and an IMR advisor, considers what may come out of it.

Details: World

Obama’s Second Term: “Reset” or Rethink on Russia?

Details: 23 January 2013; Vladimir Kara-Murza

As U.S. President Barack Obama begins his second term, IMR Senior Policy Advisor Vladimir Kara-Murza ponders whether there will now be a rethinking of the White House policy on Russia – or whether the administration will continue its “reset” with Vladimir Putin.

Details: Nation

Yuri Shevchuk: “I Would Welcome a Spiritual Revolution in Russia”

Details: 23 January 2013

On January 16, Yuri Shevchuk, the lead singer for the Russian rock band DDT, met with the press and his New York fans at the Brooklyn Public Library. Shevchuk spoke about his American tour and discussed the current political situation in Russia.

Details: Nation

Expelled from the “Kingdom of Democracy”

Details: 22 January 2013; Boris Bruk

Russia has long featured in international democracy rankings alongside authoritarian countries of the Third World. The latest Kremlin initiatives directed against NGOs only serve to underscore this similarity. As IMR analyst Boris Bruk argues, however, pressure on civil society offers no guarantees of the preservation of power.

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