Andrei Zaostrovtsev asks this very pointed question in his article for OpenDemocracy.net, “Privatisation, but No Private Property.” After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, many of the state-owned industries were reorganized and sold off to investors by the state, many of these investors becoming very rich off of their purchase of Soviet capital […]
Read MoreWithout a doubt, Belarus is Europe’s most oppressive state with regards to civil and personal liberties. While many like to point to Putin’s Russia as an example of an emerging dictatorship, it is rather in the Soviet relic of Belarus that one will find an old school, Stalinist dictator in the form of Aleksandr Lukashenko. […]
Read MoreIn an address meant to warn NATO away from further expansion eastward, Russian General Nikolai Makarov lamented the unfortunate situation likely in the future in which Russia sees increased conflicts and tensions with her neighbors. Not only does Russia see these conflicts as increasing in number but also in scope, with some even potentially involving […]
Read MoreChina’s version of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Confucius Peace Prize, was awarded to current Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for his efforts at keeping world peace. The former Russian president beat out German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Yuan Longping, an “agricultural scientist.” The prize’s administration is overseen by an association under the control of […]
Read MoreVladmir Putin will transfer from the Prime Minister’s seat to the President’s in 2012 after current Russian President Medvedev’s term is over. Putin has often been quoted expressing his admiration and nostalgia for Russia’s past, and this has found expression in foreign policy overtures to form both bilateral unions, such as that proposed between Russia […]
Read MorePutin is going to run for Russia’s presidency again in 2012 while Medvedev will assume the premiership if the party wins. Their party, United Russia, will likely win an overwhelming majority in the March 2012 elections. Putin pledged to restore economic growth to the 5-7% range and make Russia’s economy one of the top 5 […]
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