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Putin’s Presser, Kremlin Caricature, and Gas Wars with Turkey

12 – 18 December

Details: 18 December 2015

In this week’s media highlights, Leonid Bershidsky discusses in Bloomberg View Vladimir Putin’s annual press-conference, arguing that his loyalties may be in fact the president’s biggest weakness. Also, in the National Interest, Paul Starobin writes that current U.S. reports and analysis on Russia lacks depth and understanding.

Details: Opinions

Who is to blame for what happened to the Russian Constitution, and What do we do about it now?

Details: 17 December 2015; Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, founder of the Open Russia movement, discusses why the Russian Constitution is “no more than a piece of paper—a sham symbol of federalism, freedom and democracy.”

Details: World

Crisis in Emerging Markets: Is China’s Model Better Than Russia’s?

Details: 16 December 2015; Ezekiel Pfeifer

In recent decades, China and Russia have both experienced ample economic growth, but have achieved it via diametrically opposed paths. Whereas China has pumped spending into infrastructure and investment, Russia has fed export revenues into wage growth. Now that Russia has entered a deep recession, is China winning? In the concluding installment of a three-part series on the BRIC nations, IMR analyst Ezekiel Pfeifer compares the economic prospects of China and Russia.

Details: Media Must-Reads

The Possibility of World War III, Putin as a Tsar, and Yeltsin’s Challenge

5 — 11 December

Details: 11 December 2015

In this week’s media highlights, Edward Lucas discusses in The Daily Beast the possibility of the World War III between Russia and the West, arguing that Putin is a bully, but he is not insane. In Quartz, Nina Khrushcheva focuses on the existential reasons behind the escalation of the Russia-Turkey conflict—a historical conflict between the Byzantines and Ottomans. Also, Masha Gessen writes in The New Yorker about Boris Yeltsin Presidential Center in Yekaterinburg.

Details: Media Must-Reads

Clash of Empires, Putin and the Truck Drivers, and the TV vs. the Fridge

28 November – 4 December

Details: 05 December 2015

In this week’s media highlights, Akin Unver writes in Foreign Affairs about the long history of the Russia-Turkey conflict that has recently escalated following the downing of the Russian jet by Turkey. The consequences of this conflict have been widely discussed in the expert community. Also, Paul R. Gregory writes in Forbes about the Russian truck drivers’ protest against a new road tax, arguing that this uprising coming from the working class could present a serious threat to the Kremlin.

Our newsletter delivers a digest of analytical articles and op-eds published on our website, along with the latest updates on the IMR activities on a monthly basis.