Year: 2008

November 5, 2008

Energy Blast – Nov 5, 2008

The declaration on the Nagorno-Karabakh, generally thought to have been signed with the aim of optimizing possibilities for energy politics in the region, ‘does not contain any significant commitments’, says this report. The Kremlin has increased ...
November 5, 2008

Today in Russian Business – Nov 5, 2008

Speculation that Barack Obama’s presidency will boost the country’s relations with the US has helped Russian stocks to rally for their sixth day in a row. Vneshekonombank is to act as an agent for $6.41 billion of National Welfare Fund...
November 5, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Nov 5, 2008

TODAY: How will US president-elect Barack Obama change relations with Russia? Medvedev delivers state-of-the-nation address, strongly criticizing US; Poland and Lithuania stalling Russia-EU partnership talks; nationalist rally sees 500 protesters ...
November 4, 2008

Gaddafi’s Déjà Vu in Russia

Even among the ever-stiffening competition for the world’s most eccentric despot, Col. Muammar el-Gaddafi of Libya still contends for the crown, with his flamboyant sultan-esque wardrobe, his scintillating all-female bodyguard troops, and bo...
November 4, 2008

Surrender Georgia, Invade Venezuela

Ivan Eland of the libertarian think tank the Independent Institute has published a goofy piece this week arguing that Washington has absolutely nothing to fear from a “resurgent” Russia that they should stop messing around in Moscow...
November 4, 2008

A Messy Holiday in Moscow

A funny thing about brand-spanking-new nations is that they usually come along with an outdated calendar of holidays, celebrating the historical milestones of the past regimes. The Russian Federation has been no exception to the trend, and oftenti...
November 4, 2008

Authoritarianism in Economic Crisis

The system of government consolidated by Vladimir Putin has some systemic vulnerabilities which are being tested by what could be a new economic crisis in the country. Yuri Zarakhovich of Time points to a few of them: Putin’s instinct is to ...
November 3, 2008

Kremlin Flip Flopping on Svetlana Bakhmina

La Russophobe posts a translation of another Yulia Latynina column from Yezhedevny Zhurnal about the Svetlana Bakhmina case: The Kremlin’s reaction to Bakhmina’s parole request shows that the Kremlin has nothing to say. If one stops to think about...
November 3, 2008

Grigory Pasko: Sankta simplicita

Sankta simplicita Grigory Pasko, journalist Если Вы хотите прочитать оригинал данной статьи на русском языке, нажмите сюда. There exists such a legend. When on the campo dei Fiori in Rome they were burning Giordano Bruno at the stake, the bonfire ...
November 3, 2008

Thwarting American Initiatives

Jackson Diehl at the Washington Post runs through the laundry list of potential “tests” that the next U.S. president could face internationally. Beyond the rogues are the regulars: the countries that depend on American attention, posit...