Translation: Did Navalny Fail to Reach an “Understanding”?

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for on August 15, 2013 .No Comments

Izvestia’s Sergey Podosenov queries political experts as to why a new case has been launched against Navalny. The concensus is that he is becoming too popular, or violated informal understandings. Navalny Violated Informal Arrangements “Izvestia” sources talk about the background of the Prosecutor General Office attack upon the opposition leader. Vladimir Zhirinovsky is known to […]

Translation: Vladislav Surkov – “I Was by a Great Man’s Side” (part 2)

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on August 2, 2013 .No Comments

The continuation of Surkov’s interview (2/2) with Andrei Kolesnikov, in which he expounds on the meaning of friendship, leisure, love for the fatherland, and life itself. See part 1 here. Vladislav Surkov: “I Was by a Great Man’s Side” Part II Russian Pioneer’s regular columnist Vladislav Surkov has, at the request of RP’s editor in […]

Translation: Vladislav Surkov – “I Was by a Great Man’s Side” (part 1)

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on July 29, 2013 .No Comments

In which the “gray cardinal of the Kremlin” Vladislav Surkov waxes philosophical about Putin’s holiness, the nature of freedom, and why mistakes are good in his first interview (1/2), conducted with Andrei Ivanovich Kolesnikov, since leaving office. See part 2 here. Vladislav Surkov: I was by a Great Man’s Side Russian Pioneer’s regular columnist Vladislav Surkov has, […]

Translation: When do Russian Officials become Democrats?

This about Politics, tagged , , was written by for on May 23, 2013 .No Comments

When they are fed to other bureaucrats. Or so argues Mikhail Rostovsky in an op-ed for Moskovskij Komsomolets, in analyzing the resignations of Surkov and Alexei Chesnakov. Surkov for Breakfast, Medvedev for Lunch, and where do Russian Democrats come from? Solve this riddle. What does it mean when you hear the clatter of plates, knives, and […]

Translation: Was Surkov Fired for Bolotnaya Sympathies?

This about Politics, tagged , , was written by for on May 15, 2013 .No Comments

Based on multiple interviews with high-placed sources, Vedomosti’s Lilia Biryukova, Maxim Glikin, and Maxim Tovkailo compile four major theories to explain Surkov’s resignation last Wednesday: Was it a simple matter of under-performance, or are there deeper currents to the story? Surkov May have been Fired for his Bolotnaya Sympathies On Wednesday, President Putin acceded to the resignation request of […]

Triumphs Of Kremlinology

This about Demographics, tagged , , , was written by for on September 30, 2012 .41 Comments

In 2008, Commissar of Transitionology Michael McFaul and his lab assistant Kathryn Stoner-Weiss wrote: “The myth of Putinism is that Russians are safer, more secure, and generally living better than in the 1990s—and that Putin himself deserves the credit… In terms of public safety, health, corruption, and the security of property rights, Russians are actually worse […]

Visualizing The Kremlin Clans

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by , for on January 19, 2011 .10 Comments

Can you tell your siloviki from your civiliki? MVD, FSB or GRU? The breeds of dog underneath those Churchillian carpets? If not, maybe this will help. In August 2010, I translated the introduction to political pundit Vladimir Pribylovsky’s recent book ВЛАСТЬ-2010: 60 биографий (Power in 2010: 60 biographies). The resulting Phantom Tandem, Real Triumvirate and the Kremlin Clan […]

The Kremlinologist Catechism

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for , on August 27, 2010 .9 Comments

This is a reprint of my article for the Sep/Oct 2010 issue of Russian Life magazine. It is a condensed version of Rosstat and Levada are Russophobia’s Bane. Enjoy! There is a Catechism that dominates American discourse on Russia today. Just flip through The Washington Post’s editorials, peruse American political science journals or listen (cringe) to a Joe […]