Stories about Russia from April, 2008
Russia: “A NATO Summit For Putin”
Transatlantic Politics writes about Vladimir Putin, “the real winner of the NATO summit in Bucharest”: “Perhaps, in the end, Putin smiles because he knows the truth: Putin has also looked into the West’s eyes to see its soul and has found that the West is lacking both a soul and...
Russia: “Resurgent” – but “Militarily Encircled”?
Soumaya Ghannoushi believes, among other things, that “far from being a threat to the West, Russia is, in fact, a country under threat.” Her opinion piece has received over 300 comments at the Guardian's Comment is Free.
Southeast Europe, Russia: War, Peace, and Shared History
Veronica Khokhlova translates some Russophone bloggers' views on shared history and conflict in Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus.
Russia: “A Prescription for Europe, Part 1″
Robert Amsterdam posts Part 1 of “a series of short policy papers […] outlining some recommendations for the European Union to reduce dependency on Russian natural gas, increase competition, and deepen energy security.”
Russia: Relations With NATO
Streetwise Professor writes about the relationship between NATO and Russia: “If NATO expansion does not threaten Russian territory in the slightest, it does sharply constrain Russian freedom of action in Ukraine and Georgia.”
Armenia: Union With Russia
Unzipped reports that the Vice Speaker of the Russian Duma has suggested that “Russia and Armenia should form a union state.” The blog says it is shocked by such calls and seems interested in starting a discussion on the matter.
Russia: More on Litvinenko's Poisoning
Sean's Russia Blog “revisits” Aleksandr Litvinenko's poisoning case and, among other things, recommends reading a piece the New York Sun by Edward Jay Epstein: “The article’s value is in his questioning of the accepted and unchallenged assumptions about the British investigation, the chain of events, Litvinenko’s movement around London, the...
Russia, U.S.: NATO Summit
Scraps of Moscow writes about various aspects of the NATO Summit in Bucharest and the coverage it is receiving in the U.S. and Russian media.
Russia, U.S.: Response to Opinion Piece on Russophobia
A detailed response to an opinion piece by Andrei Tsygankov, associate professor of international relations at San Francisco State University, who claims that “the U.S. presidential candidates are increasingly playing the Russophobia card in their campaigns” – at Scraps of Moscow.
Ukraine: “No Go from NATO”
A roundup on Ukraine and NATO: A Fistful of Euros reads Yushchenko's address and isn't surprised “other NATO countries are balking”; Mark MacKinnon writes that granting membership to Ukraine might lead to “further internal strife”; Eternal Remont highlights the Communists’ “sophisticated and highly nuanced policy position”; Ukrainiana posts a video...
Caucasus: Geopolitical Railroads
Window on Eurasia says that while oil and gas pipelines through the region attract more attention, railroads might have more geopolitical significance. In particular, the blog examines what plans for a new railroad linking Iran and Azerbaijan might mean, and not least on Russian and NATO interests in Eurasia as...
Bulgaria: Rethinking History – A National Holiday in Days of Tragedy
On Feb. 28, a fire on the train from Kardam to Sofia killed nine people. The majority of Bulgarians thought that a national mourning must be declared, but the authorities postponed it until after the celebration of Bulgaria's biggest national holiday on March 3. Yavor Mihaylov reviews and translates Bulgarian bloggers' reactions.