Putin’s Geo-strategic Boots

By James Kimer | Published: October 25, 2007

Today our translator in Germany has provided us with another exclusive English translation of an interesting article from the newspaper Die Welt, which argues that autocrats stick up for other autocrats as a means of survival, among other insights. Over the past year we have had dozens of great translations from the German press, including […]

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European Court of Human Rights Rules Against Russia in Lebedev Case

By James Kimer | Published:

Breaking news: Lawyers for Platon Lebedev, a former Yukos manager and business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, have announced that the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled in their favor, finding that Russia had violated his rights on five counts during his arrest in 2003. The ECHR found that Russia unlawfully kept Lebedev […]

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Making the Best out of Cold Peace

By James Kimer | Published:

Stanley A Weiss, founding chairman of Business Executives for National Security, writes about how the United States and Russia can make the most of its less-than-perfect relationship: Going forward, Moscow and Washington should remember that, in many ways, they are made for each other. As the two largest nuclear powers – both victims of Islamic […]

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Khodorkovsky Anniversary Coverage

By James Kimer | Published:

From The Independent: Russia jailed Khodorkovsky to silence him, say lawyers By Anne Penketh, Diplomatic Editor Published: 25 October 2007 Lawyers for the jailed oligarch, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, accused Russian authorities yesterday of trying to keep the former head of the country’s biggest oil company locked up beyond next year’s presidential election, four years after he […]

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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Oct. 25, 2007

By Citizen M | Published:

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, and Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee pose for photographers during their meeting in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. China, Russia and India will attempt to boost cooperation in regional and global issues at talks in northern China, foreign ministers from the countries said. (AP […]

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Russia’s Food Price Freeze – Interview with Dr. Craig Pirrong

By James Kimer | Published:

Following yesterday’s surprising news that Russia is instituting price controls on numerous basic food staples throughout the rest of the elections season, we thought it would be interesting to speak with an economist to get a perspective on what this all means. We’re pleased to present an exclusive interview with Dr. Craig Pirrong, Professor of […]

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Sestanovich: The Emotionalism of Cold War Legacies

By James Kimer | Published:

Stephen R. Sestanovich has a new interview up on the Council of Foreign Relations website that is worth a read: It’s been said by a number of experts lately that one of the problems in the relationship is that Americans kept saying they “won” the Cold War, and Russians don’t like being seen as a […]

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Grigory Pasko: No complaints – because there’s nobody to complain to?

By Grigory Pasko | Published: October 24, 2007

No complaints – because there’s nobody to complain to? By Grigory Pasko, journalist On 25 October 2003 at 5 o’clock in the morning Moscow time, when an airplane flying from Nizhny Novgorod to Irkutsk stopped for refuelling in Novosibirsk, the head of Russia’s largest oil company “YUKOS” and its largest shareholder Mikhail Khodorkovsky was arrested. […]

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Registan Reviews Steve LeVine

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

My favorite Central Asia blog Registan.net has a review of the book “The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea” by former New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporter Steve LeVine. Steve is a bright guy, and I look forward to reading this one myself. From Joushua […]

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Abramovich or Mittal Going After Russneft?

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

Now this is crazy news. Reuters is reporting on a new rumor that a competing bid for the recently hijacked oil company Russneft could be backed either by Roman Abramovich or Lakshmi Mittal – putting into question the acquisition plans by Oleg Deripaska’s Basic Element. Readers of my blog will recall that Russneft, under owner […]

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