A United Russia? Far From It
This is how parliamentary elections work in Russia: Mr. Putin’s party, United Russia, faces off against collaborating parties — which would never dare to criticize him. And the real opposition parties...
View ArticleCivil Reawakening in Russia ?
It came as no surprise to Russian citizens that parliamentary elections held Dec. 4 were neither free nor fair. Elections in Russia have become increasingly managed since Vladimir Putin’s first stint...
View ArticlePutin’s charm offensive : will he moderate his course?
The numerous protests that followed blatant vote rigging have shown quite clearly how Russian society reacts to being deceived. What hasn’t, however, been obvious is how the authorities would react to...
View ArticleRussians united against United Russia
In the past two weeks a number of different rallies took place in Russia. The most memorable of these, on December 10, was the biggest protest in Russia since the fall of communism. People in cities...
View ArticleRussia’s growing nationalism
The recent India-Russia annual summit which took place December 16-18 in Moscow could have been a victorious engagement of two old friends who grew apart but who recently recognized the importance of...
View ArticleTurkey: Abandoning the EU for the SCO?
The European Union is in a rut. Its once-vaunted economy and “ever closer” integration is facing the tough challenges of a dogged recession and anti-EU sentiment in some of its most powerful member...
View ArticleBRICS builds on Africa
When they come together at Durban, the South African city that has hosted mega conferences of hundreds of countries in the past, the small but significant group of five leaders from Brazil, Russia,...
View ArticleBeijing banks on BRICS
A day after BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – agreed to launch a development bank and $100-billion contingency fund, the state-run media in Beijing reported the news as a...
View ArticleIndia-Russia: Taking each other seriously
On Dec 15, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will head to Moscow for the 2011 India-Russia summit. It is the 12th such high-level meeting since the accession of Russian Prime Minister (formerly...
View Article‘Ukraine may split into two countries’
Over three months after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign an Association Agreement with the EU, Ukraine has witnessed the growing prominence of right wing organisations, supported...
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