The Post-Soviet Transformation of Belorussia

Armen Gasparian: Oleg Mikhailovich, first of all, I would like to ask you a question about progress in the development of the Land Cadastre. The word "cadastre" sounds somewhat scary to an inexperienced reader, but in fact it is a very important word.     

Post-Soviet Gravitation

The author argues that the unexpected victory of Viktor Yanukovych in the 2010 presidential elections reflects popular fatigue regarding political conflict and a willingness to return to the post-Soviet oligarchic model of the Kuchma period. In rejecting the dictatorial tendencies of Yulia Tymoshenko, however, the electorate remained true to the democratic ideals of the Orange Revolution.     

Criminal Justice Policy Transfer To Post-Soviet States: Two Case Studies Of Police Reform In Russia And Ukraine

The aim of this article is to review the impact of two British research projects on the policies and practices of local police forces in two former Soviet states: Russia and Ukraine. Using a case study approach, the article explores the ways in which the political, cultural and ideological context within which the police operate, and reform is being attempted, shape attitudes towards reform amongst the police and the public, and the outcomes achieved. The article draws upon an evaluation of the impact of two independent 3-year applied research projects, which aimed to investigate specific crime and policing issues in Russia and Ukraine, implement pilot projects and evaluate their impact in order to make recommendations for more general criminal justice policy reform. The overall results of the projects suggest that, despite significant interest in the concept of police reform and the adoption of western concepts, particularly at the local level, significant barriers to large-scale policy transfer persist, many of which are largely beyond the influence of local practitioners and western reformers.     

Orthodox Christianity in Post-Soviet Society

On the basis of quantitative research, the author analyzes the process of mass affiliation to Orthodox Christianity in the post-Soviet period, the understanding of the foundations of faith and attitudes toward the sacraments, and the special characteristics of contemporary Orthodox religious practices. She traces the connection between the anti-Westernism and anti-modernism of the present-day Russian Orthodox Church and anemic grassroots social processes legitimized by the Putin regime. She shows that parishioners are not the main concern of today's bureaucratized Church, which demonstratively identifies itself with the state and in which conservative-fundamentalist tendencies are winning out.     

Grievance Practices in Post-Soviet Kyrgyz Agriculture

This article examines legal consciousness in action as expressed in grievances arising from commercial transactions among sellers and buyers in the new post-Soviet economy of Kyrgyzstan. Using focus groups, direct observation, and participant observation, I investigate the transformation of disputes between Kyrgyz vegetable growers and processors. My data show variation in the way grievances are dealt with among Kyrgyz farmers. Farmers opt out of the contractual relationship, remain in the relationship, or practice a combination of the two over time. The farmers included in this study did not seek legal remedies through the court system. Data also reveal that expressions of grievances transform in tandem with an evolution of feelings—from anger and distrust to understanding and even sympathy for the party responsible for the grievance.     

Special Characteristics of the Post-Soviet Political Regime

When the editors of Rossiiskaia gazeta asked me to write an article on Russia's future policy toward Asia, they did not catch me completely unawares. I have been thinking about this now extremely complicated problem for a long time. Here I attempt to share my preliminary conclusions. I am not sure that these conclusions are final, but we must initiate a discussion.     

The Disintegration of the Economy of Central Asia in the Post-Soviet Period

The present stage in the development of the Central Asian region is marked by the disintegration of its economy—its fragmentation into individual components that barely interact with one another, that are subject to no control or coordination, and that are deteriorating progressively as time passes.     

What Post-Soviet Russia Can Learn from Bismarck

The chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, R. Khasbulatov, answers questions from the periodical Narodnyi deputat. The journal's chief editor, M. Piskotin, and journalist Iu. Zviagin participated in the discussion.     

Environmentally Unfavorable Areas in Russian Law and Post-Soviet Space

Abstract

The article suggests a new view on the issues of protection of environmental human rights in environmentally unfavorable areas. A diversity of approaches in Russia and republics of the former USSR granted a special legal status to areas which caused environmental harm due to natural disasters and manmade disasters, In addition, ineffective environmental policies allowed hazardous industries to pollute the environment for many years. New environmental legal solutions must be developed and implemented in developing countries with the active assistance of the international community to ensure environmental human rights on a global rather than national scale. The new proposed legal requirements should focus on the most environmentally impaired areas based on utilizing specific classifications and criteria.     

Transforming the Post-Soviet Research Systems Through Incubating Technological Entrepreneurship

For many years the Soviet Union and the Eastern block countries (member countries of the former Warsaw pact) had been considered as the main military competitors of the western countries buttressed in their struggle against the West by their economic and scientific resources. The Warsaw pact countries had high levels of R&D investments, a large number of researchers and engineers, and diverse research facilities. On the other hand, output indicators (patent applications, number of papers, scientific citations, etc.), and especially the rates of technological innovation were not so impressive. This paper analyzes the sources of these differences with special attention to the functions played by science and technology (S&T) programs in the formerly communist societies of Europe and Russia. The dynamics of changes in the R&D potential in these countries are considered along with ways and possible scenarios of convergence towards the national systems of innovation of developed western economies. Special emphasis is assigned to the constructive role that technology transfer and commercialization processes along with the use of a network of virtual incubators and the promotion of technological entrepreneurship, can play in fostering a socio-economic renaissance in Eastern Europe and Russia.     

后苏联时代的法律移植与民法典编纂

若要弄懂一种法律制度,不能单研究其条文规范,而要明白这个条文是如何组合到一起的,该制度是如何架构的,它的条文应当如何解释.同样,若要弄懂一种法律制度可能对其他法律制度产生的效应,一个人还应当意识到那些影响性因素远远超出个别条文之上.     

Blind Alleys of Post-Soviet Development: Searching for Exits: Editor's Introduction

The articles in this issue of Russian Politics and Law show that Soviet legacies continue to shape the political development of all of the post-Soviet states. Some articles in the issue focus more specifically on Russia, highlighting how some of the political problems that have resulted from Soviet legacies have derailed the liberalization of the region's most important state.     

The Sovereignty Game States Play: (Quasi-)States in the International Order

This article discusses the puzzle of sovereign statehood in the context of state failure and anarchy in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the first section it suggests to analyse sovereignty as a discursive fact in terms of a Wittgensteinian language game. This renders recognition a pivotal element and rejects foundationalist notions of sovereignty. The second section analyses the ‘quasi-statehood narrative’. Whereas this narrative presents sovereignty as a game, it applies two different notions of games concomitantly. This article argues that the notion of quasi-statehood maintains an empirical kernel as the core of ‘real’ sovereign statehood and as such remains within the conventional sovereignty discourse. The epilogue states that such foundationalism is not an innocent analytical move. It shows how language can have far-reaching political impact in terms of legitimation of political actions, and how, ultimately, the conventional discourse drains international relations of its content. This will be illustrated by U.S. position to state failure in their War on Terrorism.     

美国军事司法体制

美国军事司法体制直接起源于英国的《战争条款》,这种体制强调军事指挥官对军事司法程序的控制,军事司法的独立性、公正性很难得到保障。《统一军事司法法典》的颁行,加强了军事司法的法律之治和对正当程序因素的吸收,增强了军事法官的独立性,保障了被告人的程序权利,从多个方面限制和制约了军事指挥官对军事司法程序的过多干涉和非法影响。军事指挥权和军事司法权的相互制约型塑了美国军事司法体制的基本结构,同时决定了纪律、秩序功能和公平、正义功能指导军事立法和司法的双重属性。研究美国军事司法体制的历史、结构与功能,对于促进全球新军事变革视野中的我军军事司法体制改革,具有重要的借鉴意义和参考价值。