Panama Papers expose Putin’s Achilles Heel
Dmitry Gudkov, the young opposition Duma deputy who’s been denounced as a traitor, says the Panama Papers hit the Russian strongman’s weak spot—and there’s more to come, Michael Weiss… Read more »
Category: Russia
Russia’s balance sheet: could 1990s’ chaos return?
In the grip of its longest recession in 20 years, Russians seem resigned to the loss of the growth and prosperity they had come to see as the hallmark of… Read more »
A grand strategy for Ukraine?
Political, economic, and cultural divorce from Russia, integration with the world, and alliance building with eastern Europe, Turkey, and the United States are the three components of a grand strategy that… Read more »
How Russia sanctions bite the Kremlin
The West’s unprecedented step to sanction post-communist Russia [in the wake of the invasion of Crimea] proves that the liberal democracies no longer consider Russia as a responsible partner or… Read more »
Russia a kleptocracy long before Putin
Revelations from the Panama Papers, one of the great financial scandals of our time, have focused mainly on the law firm that carved the offshore shell firms, the major banks that turned… Read more »
State Capitalism resurgence threatens democracy
Liberal democracies are under threat from a resurgence of state capitalism, which is ultimately “more protectionist, more dangerous to global security and prosperity, and more threatening to political freedom” than free… Read more »
Russian rights defender receives political asylum
Russian rights defender Nadezhda Kutepova has received political asylum in France, RFE/RL reports: Kutepova, the director of the Planeta Nadezhd (A Planet of Hope) nongovernmental organization, left for France in… Read more »
Panama Papers give glimpse through keyhole of kleptocracy
The Panama Papers are a glimpse through a keyhole of an orgy of tax evasion, money laundering and kleptocracy – amid the legitimate financial planning – hosted by the world’s… Read more »
Illiberal powers emboldened – Authoritarianism Goes Global
Over the past decade, and gained influence within the global arena. Leading authoritarian countries―including China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela―have developed new tools and strategies to contain the… Read more »
Biggest global corruption scandal threatens autocrats
A huge leak of data from Panama has exposed a web of secret offshore companies that has allegedly been used to hide wealth, evade taxes and launder money. Hundreds… Read more »