Opinion - Russia Beyond The Headlines

Russians assess the country's new government

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:01:00 +0400

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

Creating demand at home

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:02:00 +0400

Russia’s efforts to diversify the economy must focus on creating demand for modernization at home rather than only exporting products abroad

The street has turned to the left

Wed, 16 May 2012 19:01:00 +0400

What do the events of May 6-7 say about the future of the Russian protest movement?

A hundred steps upward to encourage business

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:42:00 +0400

Vladimir Putin has determined his main economic goal for his new presidential term – for Russia to rise 100 places in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, from 120th to 20th

Russia’s balancing act

Mon, 14 May 2012 19:34:00 +0400

It would be wrong to see Putin’s refusal to attend the G8 summit at Camp David as a sign of an anti-Western turn in Russia’s policy and a change of its priorities

Back to the future: Putin 2018

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:51:00 +0400

A utopian political experiment with an uneasy beginning and a happy ending. Fyodor Lukyanov takes a look at May 7, 2018

Maintaining weight

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:15:00 +0400

There are few statesmen in the world today who can claim to be themselves a brand. Vladimir Putin is one of them

Why we remember the victory

Tue, 08 May 2012 12:00:00 +0400

The end of the Great Patriotic War remains an important day to celebrate for Russians

Victory Day on both sides of the Atlantic

Tue, 08 May 2012 10:02:00 +0400

A couple of hours for Victory Day is not a high price to pay for reminding ourselves that the history of mankind doesn’t split along national borders or generational lines

How to bolster Russia’s energy sector

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:16:00 +0400

A combination of public and private ownership is the only way to encourage both initiative and expansion in the energy sector

Does Russia’s investment legislature work well?

Fri, 04 May 2012 17:39:00 +0400

Despite the fact that today Russia offers many opportunities for foreign investors, the country still remains unpredictable and risky for doing business

Joint missile defense is limited to data sharing

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:35:00 +0400

There is a huge amount of mutual mistrust between Russia and the United States on missile defense. Nevertheless, there are still several possibilities for cooperation on the project

Obama's useless Bout trophy

Thu, 03 May 2012 17:08:00 +0400

Convicted arms trader Viktor Bout made a video appeal several weeks ago from his U.S. cell, asking the State Duma to sue the U.S. and Thailand to free him from prison. The Duma rejected Bout's request, explaining that it has no authority to act in th

Political uncertainties amid rising discontent

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:02:00 +0400

The protest movement in Russia may not be finished, but it also may not bring about the creation of democratic capitalism

The new war for space is a public-private one

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:55:00 +0400

As corporations work to create vehicles to carry cargo and people into space, the Russian space program must assess its own future plans

Magnitsky for Jackson-Vanik: A fair trade?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:50:00 +0400

More and more it is becoming clear that for the Jackson-Vanik amendment to be lifted, something must be put in its place to remind Russia that the U.S. will never see it as an equal partner. Many see the Magnitsky Bill as a viable replacement

Medvedev's address: Nice words, little action

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:52:00 +0400

In possibly his last address to the State Council, Dmitry Medvedev announced big plans for Russia’s economic future, but as usual, the key lies in implementation

Europe’s shale gas is not a threat for Russia

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:07:00 +0400

This month, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the Russian parliament that the country needs “to rise to the challenge” posed to global natural gas markets by the recent increase in production of shale gas in the US

Russia and NATO in hot water

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:21:00 +0400

While NATO and Russia still view each other warily over missile defense, Russian experts - Victor Litovkin and Yevgeny Shestakov - don't see any significant progress in resolving this stand-off and warn against starting another arm race

Russia-UK: Why culture vultures can soar above political problems

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:17:00 +0400

The new office of the Russian Federal Agency for Humanitarian Co-operation, opened in London, is expected to promote the Russian culture in Great Britain and strengthen Russian-British ties

Eighth grade foreign policy

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:11:00 +0400

Will Russia’s relations with the West under Vladimir Putin consist of doing business with people he likes and relying on Dmitry Medvedev to pass notes?

Pussy Riot reveals the fault line

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 06:35:00 +0400

The punk provocateurs put the country’s contradictions in clear relief. But so far, there are only losers

Strange bedfellows escaping the unipolar world

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:17:00 +0400

Can BRICS, an organization uniting such different countries as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, become a player in international politics?

Russia takes a two-pronged approach to space exploration

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:15:00 +0400

Roskosmos intends to join the ExoMars program, but puts conditions on its participation that will help develop Russia’s domestic space industry

BRICS anticipates new challenges

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:03:00 +0400

As the BRICS countries struggle for influence, Russian experts - Andrei Ilyashenko and Dmitry Sedov - assess the problems the emerging geopolitical bloc faces

Annan’s Syria plan has no chance

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:31:00 +0400

Although the plan devised by Kofi Annan, who is now serving as an UN-Arab League special envoy to Syria has been supported by the United States and Russia, it is unrealizable, like all other theories that are at odds with the logic of civil wars

PPPs Capitalize on Kazan’s Entrepreneurial Spark

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:49:00 +0400

The entrepreneurial nature of Tatarstan’s population makes Kazan and the surrounding region a mecca for new business growth

The charming effect on global politics

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:16:00 +0400

Has the Delhi BRICS summit signaled a new wave of power politics in a multipolar world order?

Russian TV journalists pester McFaul

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:01:00 +0400

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul complains that Russian reporters from the state-sponsored NTV channel pursue him relentlessly

Pundits keep making forecats about Syria's future

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:34:00 +0400

Moscow expresses displeasure with Syria’s leadership. Does it mean Russia will reassess the situation in the Middle East’s troublesome region?

No arab spring in Russian winter

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:08:00 +0400

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 3.0: what can we expect?

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 17:44:00 +0400

What will Putin’s new presidential term – officially the third, but actually the fourth – be like? Will we see Putin 2.0 reloaded or will the regime collapse and the world witness a third Russian revolution in 100 years?

What does the weather mean for Russian agriculture?

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:49:00 +0400

Some have suggested that Russia should welcome global warming as it would make more of the country’s land farmable, but that approach is a little naïve

Open-mike diplomacy

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:55:00 +0400

The Seoul Nuclear Security Symposium provided a set stage for the last summit between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama

Will Putin 2.0 mean a return to the prosperity of the 2000s?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:44:00 +0400

With Vladimir Putin’s inauguration scheduled for May 7, 2012, a number of investment analysts in Moscow have reached a rather odd conclusion about the future Russian president’s economic policies

What kind of capitalism has Russia built?

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:06:00 +0400

Not a Western free market, and not a China-style economy controlled from the top-down, Russia’s economic model benefits the few at the expense of almost everything else

Russia may benefit from the brain drain

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:49:00 +0400

The brain drain problem is an indisputable fact, but we should not try to stop it.

Return on Investment

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:19:00 +0400

What will the U.S. government reap from the money it is now sowing into a fund to promote democracy in Russia?

A new way to get what you want

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:20:00 +0400

Can Russia develop a culture of professional lobbyists – and is it even a good idea?

Back to the Moon: When, Why and How?

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:04:00 +0400

Roskosmos head Vladimir Popovkin announced that Russia was expected to reach the moon by 2020 which brought about a sensation

Russia’s post-election economy

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:35:00 +0400

Now that the elections are over, the government must take a hard look at the promises that have been made, the reforms that need to be carried out, and where the money will come to pay for them

Tandem shuffle has experts divided in their assessments

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:29:00 +0400

Dmitry Medvedev is expected to become prime minister as planned, but as a condition, many Putin loyalists will have to go

The Russian position on Syria: myths and reality

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:15:00 +0400

Russian ambassador to the UK Alexander Yakovenko shares the basic elements of Russia’s real position on the situation in Syria

Outlawing homosexuality

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:42:00 +0400

The local parliament in St. Petersburg recently adopted a controversial law imposing large fines (up to $34,000 for organizations) for the promotion of homosexuality and pedophilia among minors. What do the experts think?

You shall love your enemy

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:14:00 +0400

After Vladimir Putin's election for the Russian presidency American politicians started demonizing Russia and questioned U.S.-Russia reset. In the midst of the American presidential campaign the future of the Russian-American relations is at the top

Russia to stay the course in Eurasia

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:51:00 +0400

The return of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency should not alter the course Moscow has set in the South Caucasus and the Eurasian sphere

A step towards compromise in Syria

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:47:00 +0400

A new agreement brokered by Russia and the Arab League may pave the way for a breakthrough in the country

Motherland of Vanishing Talents

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:24:00 +0400

Russian IT specialists and engineers work in prominent tech foreign firms, from Google to Microsoft. Why are all these talented Russians leaving the country?

Can Russian democracy grow up?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 11:13:00 +0400

The nature of the post-election protests indicate that maybe Russian democracy is moving out of adolescence into adulthood, but like any teenager, it needs wise parents

Putin’s new foreign policy: strategy and self-interest

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:14:00 +0400

The West should not consider the once and future president a threat