Civil Society
A virtual conversation on the future of Russia with or without President Putin.
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April 29, 2019
Zelenskiy’s Gambit
Ukraine's incoming president opens with a bold overture to the Kremlin.
February 21, 2019
The Election of Our Discontent
On February 24, Moldovans Will Head to the Ballot Box to Elect a New Parliament
January 23, 2019
Latvian Singer Targeted Over Crimea Boycott
In August, Latvian pop singer Laima Vaikule stated that she would never perform in Crimea, illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. After the comment, she faced widespread popular criticism in Russia and a special investigation by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
December 21, 2018
Autumn of the Patriarch
The population is getting restless.
December 4, 2018
The Delusion of Strategic Autonomy
Any parent of teenage children will be familiar with the scenario. A grumpy, incoherent desire for independence meets a world-weary reminder of reality. So long as the adults pay the bills and keep the family safe, it is hard to take the younger generation seriously. Doors slam and tempers fray. The European Union’s desire for […]
September 10, 2018
Threads of the Past
Nazi memorabilia is not cool. If you hold your nose and look on the internet, you can find flags, T-shirts and bumper stickers commemorating the Third Reich on sale at outlets that also sell pagan-themed cigarette lighters and Ku Klux Klan regalia. But no reputable retailer would stock such merchandise. It would be reasonable to […]
August 28, 2018
Question More
The “anti-vax” movement, which claims that vaccines are a commercial conspiracy and cause autism, is almost non-existent in Russia: 98% of children there receive the measles jab. But that has not stopped the Kremlin’s disinformation machine from stoking the American medical-culture wars over immunization. The most controversial part of this stunt was promoting spurious arguments […]
July 24, 2018
Russia’s Craving For Respect
Worthy targets for respect in Russia abound, including the bewitching language and literature, natural beauty, art, music, and humor. But more recently the country is magnificent mostly despite, rather than because of, the way it is run. Communist jargon debased the language. Communist industrialization despoiled landscapes and cityscapes. Soviet censors and secret police persecuted the […]
May 21, 2018
Don’t Blame the Voters for Populism
Central Europe is going backwards, with populism and nationalism on the rise. That is the consensus among many opinion leaders in Western Europe and North America.