Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Preliminary Observations On The Financial Crisis In Russia

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:45:49 +0000

Russia's leadership and the pro-Kremlin media never seem to tire of asserting that Russia will suffer less during the current global financial crisis than other countries. However, there are increasing signs that the main problems for Russia lie ahead and that the efforts of the country's leaders to present Russia as an island of calm and stability have failed.

Iceland Loan Looks Like A Strategic Win For Russia

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:24:24 +0000

Reports that Russia is considering offering a four-year, 4 billion-euro loan to Iceland hardly made ripples in the ocean of news coming out about the expanding global financial crisis. No one, it would seem, has too much attention to spare for the small, semi-mythical Iceland when the entire global market system is being rocked by one financial tsunami after another and Russia's own banking system is practically comatose. However, it may yet turn out that thanks to the crisis and the confusion ...

Russia Again Demonstrates Its Past Is Unpredictable

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:29:05 +0000

Soviet dictator Josef Stalin once said that it doesn't matter who votes, but who counts the votes. This axiom of the "father of nations" would seem perfectly applicable to the "Name of Russia" project, which was created in order to determine the most outstanding personalities of Russian history.

In Corruption Fight, Kremlin Declares 'Total War' Against Its Shadow

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:26 +0000

The war in the Caucasus and its foreign-policy consequences have put into doubt many of the ambitious plans laid out in the early days of President Dmitry Medvedev's term of office. Prominent among these plans was his high-profile program to combat corruption.

The Looming Diplomatic War Between Russia And The West

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:33:31 +0000

Russia's current goals in its dealings with the West, particularly the European Union, are the legitimization of its actions, the acknowledgement of the status quo (that is, the "independence" of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as Russian protectorates), and -- if possible -- the emergence of a split within the West over these issues.

Why Moscow Went Into Georgia

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:02:15 +0000

Russia's new strategy in Georgia seems to be taking shape. Russian forces will remain in the separatist enclaves in the form of quasi-peacekeepers until Russia resolves the political questions of their status vis-a-vis the Russian Federation.

Law And Property, Kremlin-Style

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:52:50 +0000

The plight of BP in Russia seems to fit in with the overall silovik strategy of restoring state control over the energy sector that was begun in the early days of Putin's presidency. Under that strategy, Gazprom, Rosneft, and other state megacorporations are pushing Western firms out of key projects in the oil-and-gas sector.

Russians Watch U.S. Presidential Race With Interest

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 21:50:19 +0000

The dynamism and drama of the U.S. campaign -- with open and sometimes contentious debates among candidates on national television -- present a sharp contrast to Russia's controlled and predictable elections.

Has Moscow Picked Wrong Moment To Pressure Czechs?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:40:06 +0000

Just three days after the signing of an agreement between Prague and Washington on the basing of an antimissile radar station in the Czech Republic, Russia sharply reduced the flow of oil to that country. It's possible the Kremlin hopes that increases in energy costs driven by Moscow's hardball tactics will convince the Czechs of the desirability of maintaining good relations with Russia.