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Three Objects of Aggression

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Three Objects of Aggression

Details: 03 September 2013; Boris Bruk

A recent study of the Center for Strategic Research showed that there is a high level of anxiety and aggression in Russian society, estimated at 65 percent in Russia and 84 percent in Moscow. The main “objects of aggression” are the United States, state officials, and migrants. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk discusses the reasons for this phenomenon.

Pan-Slavism in Action

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Pan-Slavism in Action

Details: 28 August 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of articles about Russian nationalism written by the well-known historian Alexander Yanov. The first two essays, dedicated to Pan-Slavism, told the story of the birth of this ideology in Russia. The new installment of the series explains how a great patriotic hysteria led the country to a bloody war for liberation of the Balkan Slavs.

The Birth of Pan-Slavism

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The Birth of Pan-Slavism

Part Two

Details: 19 August 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russian continues the series of articles by the well-know historian Alexander Yanov. The first part of the essay on Pan-Slavism told the story of the birth of this movement. The second installment is dedicated to the standoff between radical “nomenklatura” and radical youth, and explains how Russia lost its chance for the timely adoption of the first сonstitution.

The Choice of Agents

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The Choice of Agents

Details: 08 August 2013; Alexander Podrabinek

Several Russian human rights organizations that were targeted by the “foreign agent” law have applied for financial support from the Russian government. According to writer Alexander Podrabinek, it is impossible to defend human rights while receiving money from the state that is the main source of human rights violations.

The Birth of Pan-Slavism

Details: Nation

The Birth of Pan-Slavism

Part One

Details: 08 August 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of stories about Russian nationalism written by the well-known scientist Alexander Yanov. This essay, which will be published in two parts, tells the story of the birth of Pan-Slavism in Russia's foreign policy and the dangers of its revival.

Alexander Podrabinek: “Opposition Needs To Rely on Public, Not Political Alliances”

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Alexander Podrabinek: “Opposition Needs To Rely on Public, Not Political Alliances”

Details: 07 August 2013; Olga Khvostunova

On August 8, prominent Russian author and human rights activist Alexander Podrabinek turns 60. This week, he spoke with IMR Advisor Olga Khvostunova about the reasons for the revival of the Soviet repressive system, the mistakes of the opposition, and Russian society’s democratic potential.

Russian Corruption on Transparency International’s Barometer

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Russian Corruption on Transparency International’s Barometer

Details: 30 July 2013; Boris Bruk

Every year Transparency International issues the Corruption Perceptions Index, which currently ranks Russia 133rd out of 176 countries in terms of how corrupt its public sector is perceived to be. To complement this portrait of world corruption, the organization also develops a study entitled The Global Corruption Barometer. IMR Advisor Boris Bruk discusses the latest report.

Is the Protest Mood Shifting from Moscow to the Regions?

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Is the Protest Mood Shifting from Moscow to the Regions?

Details: 24 July 2013; Donald N. Jensen

A new study published by the Center for Strategic Research concludes that protest sentiments in Russia are shifting from large cities to the provinces and are becoming more economic and social than political. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, discusses the potential dangers for the Putin regime.

Patriotic Hysteria

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Patriotic Hysteria

Details: 16 July 2013; Alexander Yanov

The Institute of Modern Russia continues the series of articles by prominent scholar Alexander Yanov on the history Russian nationalism. In this installment, the author talks about the phenomenon of spontaneous “patriotic hysteria” that began with the brutal suppression of the Polish uprising in 1863–64 and that has been occasionally disrupting Russia ever since.

Reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Checkmate in Two Moves

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Reform of the Russian Academy of Sciences: Checkmate in Two Moves

Details: 15 July 2013; Tatiana Stanovaya

In late June, radical reforms of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) that presuppose the elimination of the Academy in its current form were approved in a Russian government session. The news shocked the scientific community, triggering an unprecedented storm of protests. However, after Vladimir Putin intervened, it became clear that the Kremlin had carried out a two-part move: it took control of the previously independent Russian Academy of Sciences and then labeled Medvedev’s government as the guilty party in the unpopular decision. Political scientist Tatyana Stanovaya describes how cynically the regime pushed the reform through.

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