Video: George Friedman of Stratfor on Fox News

By James Kimer | Published: October 30, 2007

Here is an interview with Stratfor’s George Friedman on Fox News. No shortage of controversial material here for debate – especially given the strong editorial line taken by Bill O’Reilly, who is able to make the most outspoken guest look reserved.

» Read More

Gazprom’s Italian Lobbyist

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

Isn’t it great when you can get a third party to endorse your interests for you? That’s exactly what Russia’s Gazprom has been perfecting in recent years by creating tight relationships with key national champions such as BP, Total, E.ON, ENI and Enel. Now it’s starting to pay off. Fulvio Conti, CEO of Enel Remember […]

» Read More

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Oct. 30, 2007

By Citizen M | Published:

Teenagers cheer at rally of the pro-Kremlin youth group Young Guard outside Red Square in the center of Moscow, 03 October 2007. (AFP/File/Dmitry Kostyukov) The forthcoming State Duma elections, to be held on December 2nd, “are not about political parties. […] Rather, the elections will be a referendum on President Vladimir Putin’s future.” Further measures […]

» Read More

You Scratch My Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

By James Kimer | Published: October 29, 2007

Fed up with excessive and often imprecise criticism of Russia on democracy and human rights, President Vladimir Putin announced that he is setting up an NGO in the heart of Europe to monitor them on rights and civil society issues. Sergei Markov told the Moscow Times that this institute would be dedicated toward raising awareness […]

» Read More

Video: A Deepening Chill at the EU-Russia Summit?

By James Kimer | Published:

Below is a newsclip from EUX.TV reporting on Vladimir Putin’s trip to Portugal to meet with representatives from the European Union.

» Read More

Estonia Questions the Nord Stream

By James Kimer | Published:

Why would Germany and Russia want to pay twice the cost to route the Nord Stream gas pipeline underwater rather than overland? Politics, of course. A few weeks after Estonia denied Russia the right to surveys in Estonian waters for the pipeline project, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet asked some tough questions in an interview with […]

» Read More

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Oct. 29, 2007

By Citizen M | Published:

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is reflected on a glass panel at the Lisbon Oceanareum during his visit October 26, 2007. REUTERS/Pedro Santa Barbara/Lisbon Oceanarium The Central Election Commission has completed the registration of federal lists of candidates from political parties at the forthcoming elections – eleven parties will run for the State Duma. Three parties, […]

» Read More

Event: Concert in Paris for Khodorkovsky and Human Rights in Russia

By James Kimer | Published:

Tonight the Association of Art in Support of Civil Liberties of Paris is hosting what promises to be a wonderful performance of works by Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Prokofiev, Shostakovich and others interpreted by Aurélien Pontier (piano), Liana Gourdjia (violin), Marc Coppey (cello), and Alexandra Grot (flute) at the Adyar Concert Hall. The concert, which is […]

» Read More

Russia Facing a Social Capital Deficit?

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

In Shankar Vedantam’s column in the Washington Post today, he opens up a discussion of how the U.S. effort to build democracy in Iraq has been fundamentally flawed for its failure to engage the dynamic of social capital, and harness the cohesive power of networks and relationships among important community stakeholders. Social capital, which traces […]

» Read More

Take a Look into Khodorkovsky’s Eyes

By James Kimer | Published:

Kim Zigfeld has a column up on Pajamas Media exploring the issue of Mikhail Khodorkovsky as a political prisoner – taking the discussion beyond the lawyer arguments commonly found on this blog: Allegations that the Kremlin jailed Khodorokovsky to keep him from contesting for the presidency have been widely reported. A Google search for his […]

» Read More