Theodore Shabad: In Memoriam

Many observers of Russian politics since 1993, and particularly in the Putin years, have pointed to great and growing deficits in the democratic character and performance of its institutions. Do Russians share this increasingly pessimistic view of Russian democracy and politics under Putin? These issues are addressed using data from national surveys conducted in Russia on six occasions between 1993 and 2007. A possible discrepancy between many elite and international estimates of Russian democracy in practice and the views of ordinary Russian citizens is investigated with attention focused on whether there was a shift in values away from democracy.     

Red Professor: The Cold War Life of Fred Rose

Red Professor: The Cold War Life of Fred Rose. By Peter Monteath and Valerie Munt (Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 2015), pp.ix + 368. AU$39.95 (pb).     

The Head of State Debate: A Response to Sir David Smith and Professor David Flint

In the 1990s political leaders debated a constitutional amendment that would make Australia a republic. That debate continues to the present day. Republicans believe that becoming a republic means having an Australian as head of state instead of the Queen. Constitutional Monarchists see no need for Australia to become a republic since Australia, they argue, is already an independent nation‐state. They contend that the head of state, the Governor‐General, is an Australian citizen and has been since 1965, and that the Queen of Australia is the Sovereign. The purpose of this article is to provide a republican response to recent arguments of two leading Constitutional Monarchist, Sir David Smith and Professor David Flint.