Year: 2008

January 11, 2008

Hard Security vs. Energy Security

Is the world facing an energy crisis? Not according to Pierre Noël, of Cambridge University and the European Council on Foreign Relations in a new article for the FT, who argues that we must abandon the ridiculous notion of energy independence and...
January 11, 2008

Russian Opposition Launches New Online Platform

Both Deutsche Welle and Other Russia are reporting on the launch of a new content-rich web portal organized by the Russian opposition to document political repression: www.hroniki.info. According to OR: “The main goal of the web page is to c...
January 11, 2008

Russia’s Alliance with the Tories

A reader has kindly pointed us toward a great article this week by Denis MacShane in the Spectator, which takes a look at the “shabby alliance” formed between Russia and Britain’s Conservatives, based largely on the latter’...
January 11, 2008

Today in Russian Business

Have you noticed the drought in news out of Russia over the past few weeks? According to a report in the Moscow Times, economists estimate that the extended holiday break has cost the economy 700 billion rubles ($28.5 billion), or about 2 percent ...
January 11, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Jan. 11, 2008

Today: Poland is looking more flexible on the missile defense shield, Moscow bans cigarette advertisements, a wealthy Georgian opposition leader is charged with terrorism, Serbia is warned over a Russian energy siege, and a big hockey fight. Press...
January 10, 2008

Russia’s Gesture Toward NATO?

It must get difficult to constantly think of new ways for Russia to demonstrate its new strength and independence internationally – one can run out of noses to thumb. As noted in today’s news blast, the latest gesture sure to test the ...
January 10, 2008

Belt-Tightening Psychiatry

After we posted his recent series of articles about punitive psychiatry in Yaroslavl Oblast, Grigory Pasko received the following from a resident of Rybinsk who has been following the Novikov case closely and wanted to share his own thoughts on th...
January 10, 2008

Eni Assists Gazprom’s Energy Raid of Serbia

In the past we have blogged about Gazprom’s hostile offer to take control of Serbia’s national energy company, which is in an especially weak position given the country’s reliance on Russian support against Kosovo’s indepen...
January 10, 2008

Russian Children and Anti-Western Tirades in the Media

For quite a few years now, the Russian Business Consulting website and RBK Daily newspaper have had a well-earned reputation as a quality and unbiased source of Russian business news. Recently, though, we have noticed a palpable politicization in ...