Clash of titans in the Asia Pacific
Increased economic, political and, potentially, military competition in the Asia Pacific is becoming a core of global politics. Russia can play a critical role in the world political architecture if it successfully defines its policy in the region
May the spy scandal spark a new wave of anti-American sentiment in Russia?
The Moscow spy incident will not trigger a new war between the special services of Russia and the United States, but it won’t be forgotten altogether
A thorough approach to changing economic policy
Russia's former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin explains why injections of money into mega modernisation projects are not enough, and how the country can change its business climate and motivate the entrepreneurial class
Russia’s Afghanistan conundrum
The defence and foreign ministries deny reports of Moscow sending troops to the war-ravaged country but Russian economic contributions could create welcome changes in Afghanistan
Freedom' or 'Nothing left to lose'?
Russia-expert George Feifer goes against conventional wisdom on its head and explains in what ways in which Russians are free and Americans are dully imprisoned
The business of children’s products
Why do we rarely talk about the involvement of children in creating products for them?
A decade after the US invasion of Iraq
From humbled Americans ambitions to new policy tactics in Russia; noted expert Fyodor Lukyanov discusses the outcome of the war that dislodged Saddam Hussein
Why Europe planned the Great Cyprus Bank Robbery
The unprecedented and steep deposit tax the EU wants to shove down Cyprus’ throat will shave over $3 billion in Russian assets. These are legitimate funds and not a mafia stash as some like to believe
Behind the fear of meteorites
Few people know that the Chelyabinsk meteorite exploded exactly 100 years after another unique astronomical event, with a difference in six days: the Great Procession of Meteors in 1913 raced a dozen meteorites by the sky of the northern hemisphere
Army reform is moving forward
The replacement of Anatoly Serdukov by Sergei Shoigu has not meant a retreat from the modernization of the Russian armed forces
Will the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan push Central Asia towards Russia?
Political scientist Andranik Migranyan talks about how the balance of power will shift in Central Asia following the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan
India engages Morsi’s Egypt
India takes the long term view that Egypt is the charioteer of the Arab world and the Muslim Brotherhood has offshoots in many countries in the region
The Tarantino of Russian literature writes 'hard' novels
Russian-American writer Alexaner Genis and RIR's Nora FitzGerald reflects on the books of Vladimir Sorokin, Russia's prominent writer who has created a language of violence and terrible beauty
Why the Kremlin flirts with Stalin
Even flirting with Stalin's name for the sake of political expediency has long-term implications
Prospects for the Russia-India-China strategic triangle
Should this grouping should continue its ad hoc like nature or do the members need to synergise their activities to match their potential?
Why Sea Launch was such a flop
The launch from a sea-based platform of a Zenit-3SL rocket, which carried an Intelsat-27 communications satellite as part of the Sea Launch Program, ended in disaster
Syria on the eve of a bloody anniversary
As the second anniversary of the start of the conflict in Syria approaches, it is increasingly clear that the West and Russia must work together to resolve the crisis, but they seem to favour different approaches
Learning how to sell snow
A really snowy winter could be a great way for Russia to build a niche tourist brand
Why Russia’s soft power is too soft
Nearly all discussions about Russia’s soft power lead to the conclusion that if a country wants to gain influence in the world, it must have an attractive model to offer other countries
The specter of Nazism still looms in Europe
Nazism spread in Germany because of widespread social dissatisfaction and polarization, coupled with a lack of real political alternatives. Fyodor Lukyanov argues that these same symptoms are still present in Europe today