Russia … For More Information
Read some late-breaking news articles about Russia.
See what Russian expert Natasha Hooper and other bloggers have to say about Russia and Putin.
Take a look at these provocative artices:
From NYRB, Sergei Kovalev on why Putin wins.
From Der Spiegel, an article on Russian youth and the Putin cult known as the Nashi movement.
From Chronicles, here’s an article by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, that was offered to the editors of Foreign Affairs for publication and rejected.
Blame Yeltsin: A look at the historical roots of Vladimir Putin’s power play.
Man of the Hour Year Decade: As President Vladimir Putin extends his authority, the Russians don’t seem to mind.
From The Walrus, a Russian tragedy: Once soulful and historic, the Russian village is dying. Will the state survive?
Russia’s sexy nationalism: Mother Russia wants some sexual healing.
The making of a neo-KGB state: Political power in Russia now lies with the FSB, the KGB’s successor
Putin’s people: The former KGB men who run Russia have the wrong idea about how to make it great.
Check out some good books about Russia
Kremlin Rising : Vladimir Putin’s Russia and the End of Revolution by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser. As Moscow bureau chiefs for the Washington Post, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser witnessed firsthand the methodical campaign to reverse the post-Soviet revolution and transform Russia back into an authoritarian state. Their gripping narrative moves from Putins unlikely rise through the key moments of his tenure. But the authors go beyond the politics to draw a moving and vivid portrait of the Russian people they encountered—both those who have prospered and those barely surviving—and show how the political flux has shaped these individuals lives.
Russia in Search of Itself, by James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress and a noted expert on Russia, who sees three elements shaping Russian culture: Orthodox Christianity; a special feeling for nature; and an intermittent, sometimes excessive passion for imported innovation. Out of this mix, he suggests, Russia must find its own moral anchor for its venture into democracy if it is to avoid falling back on a negative and authoritarian nationalism in order to recreate some sense of common purpose in society.
A review of One Soldier’s War in Chechnya by Arkady Babchenko.
A review of Beslan: The Tragedy of School No. 1 by Timothy Phillips.
A review of The New Cold War: How the Kremlin Menaces both Russia and the West by Edward Lucas (and more and more).
Some fine web resources:
Johnson’s Russia List is the most convenient collection of articles and analyses of Russia
Background and Key Facts on Russia from the BBC.
Carnegie Moscow Center, established in 1993, accommodates foreign and Russian researchers collaborating with Washington staff on a variety of topical areas and policy-relevant projects.
Harriman Institute is a leading center for the advancement of knowledge in the field of Russian and Eurasian studies
Kennan Institute, in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson Center, is a nonpartisan institution improving American expertise and knowledge about Russia and successor states to the Soviet Union with experience in shaping U.S.-Russian policy.
Looking for Local Experts on Russia?
John Clark of Provocate used to head up Hudson Institute’s Center for Central European and Eurasian Studies, he probably remembers a thing or two about Russia
In addition to being one of the most successful trial attorneys in Indiana’s history, local legal legend Ed DeLaney has practiced law in Russia and the former communist world for decades.
For 50 years IU’s Russian and East European Institute (REEI) has been one of the premiere centers for Russian studies in the US, they are crawling with world-class experts and put on many excellent events (mostly in Bloomington) every week.
