- 15:30 31/05/2011
The contract is opening up new prospects for military and technical cooperation between Russia and France. All French defense firms have been looking forward to this decision because it will open new opportunities for them.
- 12:52 31/05/2011
It is an axiom that any ethnic or nationalist party is bad. But has anyone seriously examined whether this is so? No. The matter remains open for debate. The Russian people – the majority of Russia’s population – display the maximum possible tolerance toward other ethnic groups’ lifestyles, habits, customs, traditions, religions, and so on, but within certain limits.
- 10:57 27/05/2011
One of the main elements of the reform included transitioning from a mass-mobilization army to a smaller number of better trained and effective permanent combat readiness forces, with the undermanned (“cadre”) units consolidated into a smaller number of fully manned and combat ready brigades.
- 10:32 27/05/2011
Has Russia missed the chance to strike a lucrative partnership with China over energy resources? Do its oil and gas companies still have time to strengthen their foothold in eastern markets? China is the world’s second largest energy consumer after the United States, accounting for over 10% of global primary energy consumption.
- 12:13 26/05/2011
Cyber security has not only been a critical topic on the Deauville G-8 summit agenda, but also one of the topics of day, discussed in innumerable forums and diplomatic settings. Whether it is being well- or adequately-discussed is another matter.
- 08:42 26/05/2011
The first things that should be noted are the recent agreements between the presidents of EDF and Gazprom on the South Stream project. Also, there are some plans for negotiations and discussions between EU representatives and Russian officials regarding the South Stream project. So the first point is that, apparently, a great deal of progress has been made in the timely implementation of the South Stream project.
- 10:26 23/05/2011
The PLA top military leader’s one-week visit to the United States, the first of its kind in seven years, signals that Chinese-U.S. relations are back on track.
- 10:16 23/05/2011
It is not only Moscow that has made a concession to Washington. Washington has virtually ceased or drastically reduced its support for anti-Russian forces and tendencies on the territory of the former USSR. The Obama administration is actually trying to secure Russia's speediest admission to the WTO and even the abolition of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which has already become a joke.
- 18:28 20/05/2011
One of the many things demonstrated by the enormous amount of attention that the global public, devoted to something that was, essentially, a family affair unfolding in a less-than vital country in a less-than vital region is the desperate shortage of clarity as to what matters and what does not.
- 19:17 18/05/2011
It is widely known that certain post-Soviet republics are reluctant to expand political or economic relations with Russia or other CIS members, preferring integration with the European Union or other supranational alliances.
- 11:20 13/05/2011
This year the Russian Pacific Fleet marks a significant anniversary: 280 years ago, on May 21, 1731 the Senate ruled that the naval port of Okhotsk should be built on the Pacific coast. Residents of the Russian Far East needed to build naval ships and ports to protect their land, trade and sea routes from attacks by their neighbors.
- 10:18 13/05/2011
Ukraine plays the role of both, the most important “brotherly people” and the largest imperial temptation of post-Soviet Russia. The future self-perception of Russia as either a saturated nation state or re-emerging empire will, above all, be determined by the development of Ukraine. If Ukraine returns into the Russian orbit, Moscow will see itself again as the pivot of a huge territory, and an imperial center that, in one way or another, controls much of Northern Eurasia.
- 09:43 11/05/2011
Three years ago, in early May, Dmitry Medvedev took his oath of office, becoming the third president of the Russian Federation. The Valdai International Discussion Club asked some of its members to share their impressions and thoughts regarding Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency.
- 09:40 11/05/2011
The Russian Internet, which has undergone considerable development in the last decade, remains subject to constant scrutiny from the Kremlin. Digital technology has posed a challenge to the governance and political legitimacy of the ruling class, which has been anticipated by President Medvedev.
- 09:37 11/05/2011
The growing popularity of the myth about Stalin is linked with the present agenda. A series of loud corruption scandals aggravated by the culprits’ impunity have left society disappointed in the authorities. Protest attitudes are on the rise. In the Russian system of values, the category of justice has always been above that of the law.
- 11:27 10/05/2011
Russia is a vast country that is exceptionally rich in mineral resources. Therefore, a fairly commonly held view is that prospecting for minerals outside Russia, for example, in Africa, is not a sensible proposition. Does this viewpoint reflect the way things really stand?
- 10:57 10/05/2011
The problem is that Russia did not know what it wanted. And to this day it does not know ... What is Russia - Western, Eastern, an embodiment of the Third Way? It is easy to pass mistakes off onto your enemy or opponent, but it is time for the people of Russia to say to themselves: if we want something, we should be doing something.
- 10:19 10/05/2011
Why does VE Day matter so much in post-Soviet Russia? One obvious reason is that the triumph over Nazi Germany in WWII is the only victory relevant to the entire nation that can act as a unifying force.
- 10:44 06/05/2011
For Russians as for other countries in the post Soviet space, May 9 is a very important symbol of their success. It could be argued that the Soviet Union did not achieve all that much. It had of course some highlights; but viewing the Soviet era from an historical perspective, it had negative as well as positive aspects.
