Month: June 2010

June 8, 2010

Stuck on Jackson-Vanik

As noted in today’s news blast, Lara Iglitzin and John Hempelmann of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation have published an op/ed in the Seattle Times urging the Obama administration not to cancel the 1975 Jackson-Vanik Ammendment, citing Russia&...
June 8, 2010

Energy Blast – June 8, 2010

The Moscow Times ponders the future of the Kovykta field as Gazprom leaves it to lie fallow.  A spokesperson for the Fund for the Protection of Lake Baikal has said that is unlikely that Russian mini-subs will be able to help plug the oil lea...
June 8, 2010

Today in Russian Business – June 8, 2010

The ruble has dropped to its lowest level in nine months after oil fell below $72 per barrel.  Sberbank has announced a considerable rise in quarterly profit as bad loans have eased and cost cutting measures become effective.  The bank m...
June 8, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – June 8, 2010

TODAY: Russia confirms allegations of soldiers plundering Polish crash site; Medvedev breach with Putin on ecology? Gazprom tower appeal rejected; Yabloko active on Gen Plan and Lake Baikal; anniversary of journalist murder.  Georgia threaten...
June 7, 2010

Thailand Has Violated Human Rights

In a blog post at New Mandala, the human rights activist Kwanravee Wangudom has published a response to an op/ed in the Bangkok Post which asserted that the government of Thailand had not violated human rights in the violence against protesters in...
June 7, 2010

Growing Up in the Gulag

Writing in the New Republic, Anne Applebaum reviews the book Children of the Gulag. When the propagandists said that Soviet citizens were becoming ever richer and better fed, many people were inclined to think that this could be true, even though ...
June 7, 2010

The Monday Moment of Zen

We’re unlikely to get a better photo out of Russia this week.  Jump over to Oil & Glory to read about this one and see the video.  But don’t think that Putin has gone soft … just pop over here to see how they deal w...
June 7, 2010

Gorbachev’s Vision and Regrets

You may know Mikhail Gorbachev best as the last leader of the Soviet Union, as a critic of the Putin government, or maybe as a Louis Vuitton ad man.  But you probably didn’t know that he can read minds!  At least that’s what ...
June 7, 2010

James Sherr on Ukrainian Foreign Policy

There’s an interesting interview in the Kyiv Post with James Sherr, head of the Russian and Eurasian program at Chatham House.  Sherr argues that Viktor Yanukovych has miscalculated the rapprochement policy with Russia, and why Europe a...
June 7, 2010

Energy Blast – June 7, 2010

Dmitry Medvedev and Angela Merkel are reportedly in agreement on the idea of sanctions over Iran’s nuclear activities: the Russian President has urged the Iranian regime to cease its ‘irresponsible behavior’.  Deputy Prime M...