A Short Guide to Lazy Russia Journalism

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on June 5, 2016 .2 Comments

To commemorate the final closure of the Da Russophile blog and its permanent transfer and redirection to this site, here is a reprint of an excellent article by Nils van der Vegte (with a little editing from myself) that appeared in Jon Hellevig’s and Alexandre Latsa’s 2012 anthology on Putin’s New Russia. Truly Will Rogers’ […]

Western Media Coverage of Sochi

This about Politics, tagged , , was written by for on February 17, 2014 .17 Comments

Here is a radio discussion on VoR I did on Sunday with Amos Gelb and Robert Bridge on the western media’s coverage of the Sochi Olympics. http://voiceofrussia.com/uk/news/2014_02_17/Western-media-coverage-of-Sochi-The-worst-form-of-poor-sportsmanship-9458/ Please note that the written summary provided gives only a fraction of the discussion. Anyone wanting to follow the whole discussion will need to listen to it.  Please […]

A Conversation with Weiss

This about Blogging, tagged , , , , was written by for on September 4, 2013 .6 Comments

As far as I understand, Michael D. Weiss is one of those neocons who loves Guantanamo but has a special soft spot in his heart for those Muslims who happen to be fighting Russia or some other state that the US doesn’t like much. When he isn’t chumming it up with his jihadist pals in […]

James Kirchick: Vapid, Bloviating Troll

This about Society, tagged , , , was written by for on August 26, 2013 .9 Comments

He got invited to RT to talk about Bradley Manning and his impending sentence. The gay journalist James Kirchick got invited to argue his viewpoint that Manning wa a traitor who deserved to be put to death. (I wonder what his newfound liberal groupies would make of that?). Instead, he used his airtime to go […]

The World Russia Forum 2013

This about Media, tagged , , , was written by for , on July 6, 2013 .8 Comments

This June I had the pleasure of once again attending and speaking at the World Russia Forum. The event now happens twice a year, in Washington DC and Moscow, and is intended to draw together Russian and American experts, academics, journalists, and policy-makers in an effort to improve relations between these two nations. An account of […]

The Western Media’s War Against Cyprus And Russia

This about Economy, tagged , , , , , , was written by for on March 21, 2013 .42 Comments

If you ever manage to get a troupe as diverse as Latynina, Mark Adomanis, the Cypriot Communist Party, virtually every financial analyst, Prokhorov, and Putin united in condemning your crass stupidity and cack-handedness, it’s probably time to stop and ponder. But it’s safe to say that’s not what the Troika – the European Commission, European Central Bank, and IMF […]

Kathy Lally Didn’t Get Any Flowers Today. How Sad.

This about Society, tagged , , , , was written by for on March 9, 2013 .12 Comments

Happy International Women’s Day! Today I had occasion to read one of the most inadvertently hilarious things about Russia in the Western media from Kathy Lally (pictured right) from the Washington Post in which she complains that Russian women get flowers, not power. Citing the opinion of one Russian woman from the “Center for Social and Political […]

Liberal Butthurt Over The Depardieu Defection

This about Society, tagged , , , , was written by for on January 24, 2013 .9 Comments

I had great fun observing the fallout over Depardieu’s “defection” to Russia. The reason for the apostrophes is of course because it had nothing to do with it. It was Depardieu trolling Hollande and the French “Socialists”, and Putin trolling Westerners and his own homegrown “democratic journalists.” (Or maybe not? In any case, I for […]

The Guardian Censors You Even If You Don’t Overtly Disagree With Them

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on January 21, 2013 .7 Comments

Here is the article, by Nick Cohen. And below are the two comments (one by myself) that were censored. I have corrected a few grammatical points in this post. They were eventually restored, wonder of wonders, but only after two days – and therefore all interest – had passed, and after I had sent an […]

Andrew Ryvkin’s Strange Ideas About The Russian Economy

This about Economy, tagged , , , was written by for on January 21, 2013 .6 Comments

By the usual standards of Guardian reporting on Russia, this one by GQ Russia editor Andrew Ryvkin is… well, about par for the course. Citing a recent PwC report that Russia will overtake Germany to become Europe’s biggest economy in 2030, he asks, “Should we believe them?” Well, the PwC is just repeating predictions made […]

So Who’s The New Clown At The Economist’s Russia Desk?

This about Media, tagged , , , , was written by for on January 4, 2013 .25 Comments

I really did think it was getting better there under Joshu Yaffa, certainly it’s not typical of him to write such vitriolic but more importantly factually inaccurate articles. Let’s hope the world’s sleaziest magazine was getting one of their old-timers to file for him that day, instead of representing the start of a new descent into Lucasian raving. […]

The Guardian On China And Russia

This about Demographics, tagged , , , , was written by for on December 29, 2012 .3 Comments

Keeping up with the Guardian’s stream of textual diarrhea in its Russia coverage is a quixotic task, and one that I do not really have the stamina for (although Alex Mercouris does this remarkably effectively). Still, when it comes to certain issues I’m particularly interested in, such as demography, or China-Russians relations as in this […]