Boston blast: Jihadists at the gates
In the wake of the marathon bombings, Dmitry Babich recalls the Chechnya of the Nineties and the lessons it can teach us about Islamist terrorism
Russian and British Eurosceptics can unite
Just about everyone is scolding Britain for being dismissive of the EU – with the notable exception of Russia. Strange as it may seem, our two countries, without consulting each other, have adopted very similar policies towards the EU
Anti-Magnitsky bill fuels debates on NGO law
While the Federation Council backed the anti-Magnitsky bill that, besides banning adoptions by Americans, suspends activity of NGOs supported by U.S. agencies, pundits Dmitry Babich and Boris Altshuler resumed discussions on the controversial NGO law
Why the EU has lost the Right to lecture Russia
Before the current crisis, and especially in the last years of the Soviet Union the European Union had a very positive image in all the lands to the east of Poland. Now it becomes clear that this black-and-white vision of Europe is in fact simplified
No Unity in a besieged fortress
The holiday of National Unity, officially celebrated in Russia on Nov. 4, often makes me sad. Why? Because more often than not it demonstrates the absence in society of the very value that it celebrates - national unity
Romney or Obama: Who is worse for Russia?
Do Russians prefer Romney or Obama? In fact, neither candidate excites Russians too much
Keeping politics and Pussy Riot apart
The pre-trial detension commission has once again rejected a request from the condemned Pussy Riot members to spend their prison sentence in Moscow. Dmitry Babich gives his insight on the Pussy Riot trial and why the girls failed to win in court
Don’t mix politics and aid
Next week USAID will leave Russia. The closure of USAID’s office in Moscow is largely symbolic – and it is not a good signal
Katyn: There are no good guys
Recently revealed US documents show that Western allies knew all along what really happened at Katyn, but chose to keep silent
The price of a bailout? The right to lecture
Despite its lack of funds, the EU still finds money for democracy promotion efforts outside its borders
Russians assess the country's new government
While the Western press was busy counting the number of Putin's and Medvedev's men in the new Russian government, the Russian people view developments in the cabinet of ministers from a whole different angle
Strange bedfellows escaping the unipolar world
Can BRICS, an organization uniting such different countries as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, become a player in international politics?
No arab spring in Russian winter
The headlines from the Western media outlets such as “Putin’s pyrrhic victory” and “The end of Putinism?” were rampant, but was there ever any real chance of the so-called “snow revolution” toppling Putin?
Putin’s new foreign policy: strategy and self-interest
The West should not consider the once and future president a threat
United Russia fails to win 50 percent in State Duma elections
The results of Russia’s State Duma elections will be finalized only in the morning, but it’s already clear that for the first time since 2003, United Russia did not receive the majority of the popular vote
The great game is to avoid war in Iran
The Heritage Foundation, the U.S. conservative think-tank, often view Russia as a tacit ally of Iran, turning a blind eye to its dangerous nuclear programme and ignoring the Iranian regime’s aggressive form of Islamist fundamentalism
Putin’s Eurasian Union: Sometimes integration is just integration
Why won't the West take Putin's proposal for more cooperation between former Soviet republics at face value?
Judging Medvedev on his own terms
In his recent interview, Medvedev showed himself to be an average, modern politician. It is unfair to expect him to be superhuman
Absolute beginners in the art of pragmatism
Writing about national character traits is always a tricky matter, but still more so in the case of Russia. In such a vast country you can find dozens of illustrations for any generalization you choose to make
You say you want a revolution?
Why aren’t Russians brimming with admiration for the Arab revolutions?