July 2000, Volume 11, Issue 3
The debate over Russia’s likely course of development under Putin has paid surprisingly little attention to his openly stated goal of reintegrating Russia with other former Soviet republics.
April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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April 1999, Volume 10, Issue 2
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January 1999, Volume 10, Issue 1
On the evening of 20 November 1998, Galina Vasilievna Starovoitova was shot to death outside her St. Petersburg apartment. She was the sixth member of the Russian Duma to have been murdered since that body’s creation in 1993. Most observers agree that this was a political assassination. Starovoitova was a tireless, persistent voice for freedom,…
July 1997, Volume 8, Issue 3
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January 1997, Volume 8, Issue 1
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January 1997, Volume 8, Issue 1
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April 1996, Volume 7, Issue 2
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April 1996, Volume 7, Issue 2
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October 1995, Volume 6, Issue 4
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July 1995, Volume 6, Issue 3
A review of From Reform to Revolution: The Demise of Communism in China and the Soviet Union, by Minxin Pei and Sowing the Seeds of Democracy in China: Political Reform in the Deng Xiaoping Era, by Merlec Goldman.
April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
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April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
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April 1995, Volume 6, Issue 2
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January 1995, Volume 6, Issue 1
A review of The Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia, 1917-1991, by Martin Malia and Modern Tyrants: The Power and Prevalence of Evil in Our Age, by Daniel Chirot.
July 1994, Volume 5, Issue 3
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1994, Volume 5, Issue 2
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April 1993, Volume 4, Issue 2
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April 1993, Volume 4, Issue 2
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April 1992, Volume 3, Issue 2
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April 1992, Volume 3, Issue 2
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April 1992, Volume 3, Issue 2
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April 1992, Volume 3, Issue 2
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Spring 1991, Volume 2, Issue 2
A review of Hidden Nations: The People Challenge the Soviet Union, by Nadia Diuk and Adrian Karatnycky.
Winter 1990, Volume 1, Issue 1
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Despite the country’s steady progress fighting corruption, even in wartime, skeptics warn it’s not enough. But this is just an excuse. Their real concern is how Putin’s Russia would respond.
Georgians have returned to the streets to fight for their country’s future. They refuse to let it slip quietly into the autocracy the ruling party seeks.
Georgia’s opposition is facing a pivotal election. But it isn’t enough to win: They need to be prepared to move quickly, mobilize the public, and force the regime to concede.
Later this month the country will be holding an absolutely pivotal election. The stakes? Whether Georgia will remain anchored to the West or become Vladimir Putin’s newest satellite state.
The country is at risk of collapsing into a full Russian autocracy, and Georgians understand it as a make-or-break moment. The strength and resolve of the country’s civil society will decide the outcome.
The Russian dissident journalist and activist knew if he returned to Russia he would be imprisoned or worse. But he was plagued by one question that compelled him to go.
Everyone knows that Russia’s election is a fraud. The problem is no dictator ever feels safe enough, and Putin thinks even a fake election will signal to his cronies that he’s still in charge.
Russia’s dictator lives in fear. He knows the Russian people don’t support him. He can’t even muster a street rally without bribes or threats. No number of fake elections will change that.
The Kremlin’s political theater shouldn’t be mistaken for an election or symbol of stability. It’s a sign of Putin’s weakness and the country’s descent into a deeper tyranny.
Putin doesn’t care how many of his troops die. He is looking to win a war of attrition. On the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine needs the West’s help—and it needs it now.
Alexei Navalny was one of the bravest and most influential political leaders of our time. His assassination should be a wake-up call for Western democracies.
Alexei Navalny loved Russia and was willing to risk everything for it. It is hard to grasp the magnitude of his death for his people and his country.
Vladimir Putin may have imprisoned, tortured, and killed the brilliant opposition leader, but even now Navalny is a threat to the corrupt autocracy he has built.
The Russian autocrat wanted to go down in history on par with Russia’s greatest leaders. He is increasingly looking like one of its weakest.
Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellion has exposed the fundamental instability of Putinism.
The Russian autocrat forgot an age-old truth about working with common criminals and soldiers for hire.
In the days ahead, the West must remain calm—and redouble its support for Ukraine.
The Russian autocrat’s system of control has rested on pillars that are beginning to crumble.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t just another land grab. It’s an attempt to recolonize lost empire, and threatens to return us to the age of conquest.
For twenty years, the Russian autocrat enjoyed a string of good fortune in coming to power and cementing his rule. He had raised Russia’s standing in the world. Then he invaded Ukraine.
The Russian leader declared war on his country’s independent journalists. But Russian media outsmarted him by taking their operations overseas. They are now reaching more people than ever before.
In 2022, we began publishing shorter, exclusively online pieces. No topic mattered more to you than Russia’s disastrous war in Ukraine. We also published essays from the sharpest minds on protests in China and Iran, instability in Pakistan, and more.
The Kremlin’s order to call up Russians to fight in Ukraine risks massive protests. It’s the riskiest decision of Putin’s rule, and it could lead to his undoing.
The last Soviet leader brought down his regime and ended the Cold War. The free world owes him a debt of gratitude.
Mikhail Gorbachev risked everything. Neither Russia nor the West could live up to his vision.
While widespread violence or civil war was averted, the consequences for Russia—and Putin—could be grave.
The more determined democracies are to avoid war, the greater the risk that autocracies will wage it.
In a matter of weeks, the Russian autocrat has erased his country’s prosperity in a feckless attempt to rebuild a doomed empire.
How does a Russian autocrat celebrate Victory Day while losing a war? Expect lies, myths, and propaganda.
Why we must tackle the threat posed by Putin and his authoritarianism head on.
Russia’s autocrat may be weakened, but his grip on power is greater than many people realize.
The system that Russia’s autocrat built wasn’t designed to survive the pressures it is now facing.
Russian rockets are targeting Ukrainian journalists’ ability to report the news, but the country’s media is finding new ways to stay on the air.
