Myth of Putin starts to crumble
Since the start of the 21st century, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dominated Russian politics. So much so that global media often refer to him as a czar and dictator…. Read more »
Search Results for: Russia
Why Europe’s last dictator’s crackdown will only further radicalize Belarusians
A rare and large-scale protest took place in Belarus on Saturday, when hundreds took to the streets to protest a tax — the so-called “tax on parasites” — against the under-employed,… Read more »
Bulgaria poll a setback for Putin?
Bulgaria held parliamentary elections on 26 March, with preliminary results indicating that GERB, led by Boyko Borisov (left), had emerged as the largest party, says Dimitar Bechev, a Nonresident Senior Fellow… Read more »
Why Europe’s ‘last dictator’ is allowing Belarus protests
Where the Soviet system was rigid, today’s autocrats are flexible and pragmatic, writes Freedom House analyst Arch Puddington: Where the older generation of communists were bureaucratic and slothful, today’s dictators… Read more »
How to curb kleptocrats’ ‘existential threat to democracy’
The irony is that in the century since the Russian Revolution, the “soft” democracies have endured, and the communist system that has collapsed. But the inheritors of the NKVD mantle—the… Read more »
How to counter autocrats’ information warfare
The U.S. and other Western democracies appear woefully unprepared to blunt or deter Russian propaganda, says the University of Houston’s Chris Bronk. The Russians have all sorts of domestic information… Read more »
Can crowdfunding bypass civil society crackdowns?
With heightened restrictions on foreign funding, reporting on the Russian government’s repression requires creative social media projects, argues Grigory Okhotin, one of the founding members of OVD-Info in Russia. Given… Read more »
Magnitsky lawyer ‘thrown’ from apartment on eve of court hearing
A Russian lawyer who represents the family of Sergei Magnitsky is in intensive care after falling from the fourth floor of his apartment building, according to unconfirmed reports. The Russian… Read more »
The information battle: How former Soviet governments promote their agendas
In what is increasingly becoming a battle over the use of soft power and information, Western institutions have been losing ground, according to a new Foreign Policy Centre publication examining… Read more »
S. M. Lipset & democracy’s fragility
If Seymour Martin Lipset had lived, he would have celebrated his 95th birthday on 18 March. Today, his prolific scholarship remains as timely and influential as when he was an… Read more »