Being accused of excessive seriousness is not something Russians expect or covet. We pride ourselves on a sense of irreverent humour, irony and ability to exist in often self-destructive fantasy worlds. In fact, part of what saved the country's 'soul’ during Communism was the widespread popular subversion of that ideology's central tenants of seriousness and […]
Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, has called McCain's proposals to resume nuclear weapons reductions talks with Russia “fully realistic”. Kosachev was quoted in the May 29th issue of the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestiya employing a sports metaphor: “Mr McCain can completely count on the fact that Russia will be ready to engage […]
There has never been any love lost between John McCain and the Evil Empire. As far back as 2006, he had promised to be “very harsh” on Russia. By May 2008, he was still vowing to push through an even earlier 2005 determination (in a bill co-sponsored with Joe Lieberman) to kick Russia out of […]
We’ve had a ‘Good News’ blog and another lighthearted one of various links, but the good times are over! Thanks to Freedom House's newly released Freedom of the Press 2007 Survey, we can put the good feelings behind us as our Central Asian states received bleak, down-trending outlooks. The Survey concluded that Press Freedom was […]
Happy Memorial Day to all those who have put their lives on the line for their respective nation and people. I was going to discuss the latest Freedom House Media Report, but was having problems accessing their website. Maybe Kazakhstan's government has gotten to them too! Expect this tomorrow or soon after. Kyrg seismic activity […]
Having become increasingly politically sidelined under Putin, the KPRF, the Russian Communist Party, is trying its hand at film criticism. The BBC quotes St. Petersburg Communist Party chief Sergei Malinkovich telling Reuters that the new Indiana Jones movie was “rubbish”. Certainly, he is in good company. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw was not impressed either. Nor […]
So he's finally done it. Just when you though there could not be anything more frightening than last year's winners, the monster costumed hard/glam Finnish rockers Lordi… behold Dima Bilan's mullet. Last nights win was Russia's first in Eurovision. Moreover, the fact that Britain came in last could also not have escaped unnoticed by the […]
Today, minister-cum-democracy activist Mikhail Kasyanov met in Chelyabinsk with supporters of his People's Democratic Union party, part of the Other Russia umbrella movement. They hosted a round table discussion on “The Effects of Political Monopolisation”, it was reported on the Radio Liberty website. But who is Kasyanov and what does he want? Ill be posting […]
Yet another brilliant piece of insight from the Exile. They’re particularly adept at sniffing out power struggles, whether it be between the Siloviki and Liberals or Gopniki vs Hipsters. In this article, they talk about the recent demise of Liveblogging, hunted to extinction by the ironiste brigade and of its improbable rebirth. Russian online culture […]
Let's join the club! Unfortunately, a definitive majority of news I report on and discuss on this blog is of the negative kind. It does them a true adage that good news is not really news people tend to be drawn to. I looked at many of the reports, articles, and other blog topic ideas […]
In yesterday's Guardian, their Moscow correspondent Luke Harding posted an interview with Litvinenko poisoning prime suspect Lugovoi. Unfortunately, far from providing any new revelations or even insights, the piece read like a tired, thrice-removed smorgasbord of conspiracy theories, hyperbole, tired stereotypes and faintly disguised jingoism at Russia's ostensible failure to cooperate with the British authorities. […]
About a month ago we discussed the implications for new Russian presidency of Dmitry Medvedev for Central Asia, Russian domestic politics, and the world in general. Would Medvedev be Putin's puppet? Would he be a liberalizer? What could we expect from him regarding relations between Russia and the Central Asian states? We are about to […]
Afghan's culture and societal battles are of utmost important in the overall fight for the country's future, but the Afghan and NATO armies are still the key-holders to success on all fronts. Their ability to stand up or stand down against the Taliban and other insurgent forces will be a crucial determining factor as the […]
This afternoon, Pavel Gusev, the editor of the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets, gave a revealing interview with Masha Myers and Matvei Ganapolsky on the liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy headlined "Empty Front Pages: What is the Russian Press Protesting Against?". (Listen to the archived program here ) The policy in question was a recent, subtle and […]
There are many fronts to all wars and the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan is no different. NATO forces have supreme firepower to use against the Taliban insurgents, but this alone cannot defeat them and secure a safe and free nation. The Karzai government needs to produce good governance for its peoples and a civil society […]