Video: What Have We Learned from the Spy Swap?
What Have We Learned from the Russia Spy Swap? from Robert Amsterdam on Vimeo.
Russia
Bout Time for Extradition
FoxNews.com interviews Robert Amsterdam on the repeated delays the U.S. administration has faced in getting Thailand to extradite reputed arms lord and friend-of-the-siloviki Viktor Bout. Don’t anybody hold their breath. But the celebr...
Who Wins in the Luzhkov Ouster?
A Good Treaty has an interesting post discussing the winners and losers of the fantastically preposterous Luzhkov fiasco in Moscow. There’s a good argument that Medvedev looks good if he can put his signature on this firing, and an eve...
Ideology-less Authoritarianism
From Roger Cohen’s article yesterday which makes the plea that democracy, though imperfect and brand-damaged, is still an ideal featuring values which are worth fighting for. Krastev makes the point that Russia doesn’t change bec...
Luzhkov Leaks a Birthday Card from Putin?
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has been trying out all kinds of bizarre strategies to avoid getting the boot from the Kremlin – even leaving his billionaire wife Yelena Baturina home alone to run the defense campaign while he relaxes in Austria.&...
Icy Sovereignty
This week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plays host to the warmly entitled conference “The Arctic: Territory of Dialogue,” which will include participation of representatives from the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Fin...
Six Ideas to Improve the U.S.-Russia Relationship
David J. Kramer of the German Marshall Fund has published a scathing op/ed in the Washington Post blaming U.S. officials of complicity in Russia’s repression of protesters. Kramer has a laundry list of suggestions for Washington to cre...
Microsoft Was Useful, Not Essential for NGO Crackdown
Like many others, I was impressed by Microsoft’s rather quick and commendable reaction to the New York Times piece that exposed alleged cooperation in unlawful raids and repression by state security forces over opposition and environmental N...
Video: Sam Nunn on the New START Treaty
CNN has a pretty lowbrow discussion with Sam Nunn, who is among the most vocal advocates pushing for ratification of the new START treaty.
Nationalism and Technology
In the mid 20th century, a favorite activity of populist governments across the world and especially Latin America was import substitution industrialization (ISI), an economic policy designed to reduce dependence on foreign manufactured goods by c...