Welcome to Chechnya
Guest: David France on his film Welcome To Chechnya.
March 5, 2021
Menu
Witchcraft in Russia and Ukraine
Guests: Valerie Kivelson and Christine Worobec on witches, magic, spells in their new sourcebook Witchcraft in Russia and Ukraine, 1000–1900 published by Cornell University Press.
February 26, 2021
Conquering Nature in Sakhalin and the Arctic
Guests: Paul Josephson and Sharyl Corrado on conquering nature, settlement, and Russian expansion in the Arctic and Sakhalin.
February 19, 2021
From Soso to Stalin
Guest: Ronald Suny on Stalin: Passage to Revolution published by Princeton University Press.
February 12, 2021
Watering the Soviet Lands
Guests: Maya Peterson and Christopher Ward on water and the environment in the Soviet Union.
February 5, 2021
Siloviki
The Myth of the Democratic Model
My latest piece for The eXile is now online. Here is an excerpt of “The Myth of the Democratic Model“: Stanford poli-sci prof and Commissar
February 11, 2008
“A Danger to the Safety and Security of Russia”
Novoe Vremya journalist Natalia Morar reports on her blog that she has been “officially designated as a danger to the safety and security of Russia.”
January 19, 2008
Neither Purge nor Coup
There is so much to say about Anders Aslund’s “Purge or Coup?” commentary in the Moscow Times. The big question on his mind is why
January 9, 2008
Putin’s Wealth: The Next Episode?
I first learned from Andy over at Siberian Light about the press brouhaha over Putin’s alleged $40 billion tucked away in banks in Switzerland and
December 23, 2007
A Geneology of “Putinism”
As the sun begins to set on Putin’s Presidency and his direct personal sway over Russia’s future is still undetermined, there is one legacy we
December 23, 2007
Don Putin
Two iconic moments in television and film come to mind as I read Putin’s acceptance to be Prime Minister if his protege Dima becomes President.
December 18, 2007
The World According to Anna
Anna Politkovskaya, A Russian Diary: A Journalist’s Final Account of Life, Corruption, and Death in Putin’s Russia, trans. Arch Tait, Forward Scott Simon, Random House,
November 12, 2007
Intra-Class Warfare
What is going on between the siloviki and what does it means for Putin and post-Putin Russia? It’s old news by now but a quick
November 7, 2007
Managerial Chaos?
I was going through Russia’s Great Reforms, 1855-1881 the other day looking for information on Alexander II’s judicial reforms of 1864. I was particularly interested
October 24, 2007
Spy vs. Spy
If you want to understand what is happening among the political elite in Russia and why Putin making the moves he’s making, read Mark Ames’
October 23, 2007