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Constitutional Crisis in Russia and How to Resolve It

Details: 28 March 2016

Today, there is every indication that Russia is facing an anti-constitutional coup. Power is being concentrated in the hands of unconstitutional authorities who have replaced constitutional institutions. It isn’t clear who Russia is governed by, let alone who controls its people. What are the specifics of the current constitutional crisis? Can the reactionary reforms that have eroded the democratic essence of the Russian Constitution be rolled back? Should a new Constitution be developed? Russia’s leading constitutional law experts Elena Lukyanova, Ilya Shablinsky, and Vladimir Patukhov analyze these and many other crucial issues in a new report entitled “Constitutional Crisis in Russia and How to Resolve It.”

Details: Media Must-Reads

The Kremlin’s Pyrrhic Victory in Syria, How Russians View Corruption, and Five Myths about America Circulated in Russia

19–25 March

Details: 25 March 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Jeffrey Stacey writes in Foreign Affairs that the Kremlin can claim “victory” in Syria, but its decision to pull out was in fact motivated by economic and PR concerns rather than goal achievement. Meanwhile, in Russia’s RBC Daily, analysts dissected the paradoxical ways Russians view corruption—by condemning corruption in the upper echelons of government and finding bribery somewhat acceptable. And in his commentary for Slon.ru, Vladislav Inozemtsev dismantles five common anti-American myths circulated in the Russian media today.

Details: News

“Solved?”: Investigating Boris Nemtsov’s Murder

Details: 24 March 2016

Please join the Atlantic Council, the National Endowment for Democracy, the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and the Institute of Modern Russia on Friday, April 1, 2016, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th St NW, 12th floor, West Tower Elevators), for a panel discussion on the current status of the investigation into the assassination of Boris Nemtsov and the need for international oversight of the investigation.

Details: Economics

Economic Downslide Continues

Details: 23 March 2016; Sergey Aleksashenko

In his latest comment on key developments impacting the Russian economy, Sergey Aleksashenko, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, analyzes the foreign trade dynamics and implementation of the federal budget for January, noting that the general outlook remains grim.

Details: Media Must-Reads

Putin’s Syrian Surprise, A Hollow Superpower, and the Kremlin’s Changing Course

12–18 March

Details: 18 March 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, writing for the National Interest, Nicolas Gvosdev offers several explanations for Vladimir Putin’s sudden decision to withdraw Russian troops from Syria. And the Economist’s editorial board argues that “Putin’s foreign policy is born of weakness and made for television.” In the Russian media, Alexander Baunov points out that the pullout should not come as a surprise, since the Kremlin has accomplished all of its major objectives in Syria.

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