Putin's militocracy? An alternative interpretation of Siloviki in contemporary Russian politics

This article challenges the perception of the rising numbers of siloviki in Russian politics as a conscious strategy and expression of a more authoritarian policy direction pursued by President Putin. Contextualising the phenomenon within the framework of the system of elite recruitment in contemporary Russia, and engaging in a micro-level study of individual siloviki, the article argues that the role of these figures is more modest than often asserted and the possibility of a coordinated ‘siloviki project’ is unlikely.     

车臣:普京心头之痛

自普京总统执政,开展第二次车臣战争以来,车臣问题一直困扰着俄罗斯当局.车臣残匪不断制造恐怖袭击事件.5月9日,发生在车臣首府格罗兹尼体育场庆祝活动现场的爆炸,使车臣总统卡德罗夫、国务委员会主席伊萨耶夫等6人当场被炸身亡,俄驻北高加索联合部队司令等50多人受伤.这起惨案在俄国内外引起强烈震动,普京总统称将对恐怖主义分子实施"打击和报复".     

新年寄语

随着我国经济持续快速发展和国际地位不断提高,越来越需要包括良好的国际舆论环境在内的"软实力"的支持,对外宣传工作在我国总体外交中的地位与作用越来越重要.争取客观、友善的舆论环境是当前和今后一个时期我国外交工作的根本任务和基本目标之一.     

Asymmetric bilateral bargaining in the new Russian Federation: A path-dependence explanation

In this essay we identify economic and political factors that led both the federal centre and the regions in Russia first to open the process of federal bargaining and then to pursue it in the form of signing bilateral treaties, unique for each region. Many Russian politicians and most scholars of Russian politics view asymmetric bilateral bargaining as a dangerous institutional choice contributing to federal instability and potentially threatening the disintegration of Russia. We offer an alternative view. While the treaty-signing practices are actively maintained by Russian political elites, we argue that the genesis of asymmetric bilateral bargaining in Russia had a strong `path dependence' component. In particular, it was precipitated by the developments of the last period in evolution of the Soviet federalism.     

Putin's struggle for federalism: Structures,operation, and the commitment problem

This article provides an analysis of the institutional mechanisms that are required to ensure the effective functioning of federalism in Russian politics. A common contention in the literature on federalism is that, in addition to fundamental requirements such as the constitutionally defined division of powers between the federation and its constituent units, and the supremacy of the federal constitution, some ancillary structures are necessary. Of particular importance are institutions of inter-governmental co-operation, transparent means for the mobility of officials between the centre and the regions, and integrated systems of national parties. The functioning of these institutions must also reflect the culture and ethic of federalism. This article examines how well these three factors have been implemented in Russia in the course of Putin's reforms. It is shown that a preliminary network of such institutions has been created. However, their operational ethic, and in particular the lack of commitment to federal values, it is argued, could act as an impediment to the successful evolution of the federal state in Russia.     

Politics,justice and the new Russian strike

After almost a decade of passivity, Russian workers are once again striking. For the first time since the 1990s, labor unrest has spread across the country, affecting foreign and domestic investors, well-to-do industrial and natural-resource enterprises and infrastructural installations. But unlike in the 1990s, these strikes have accompanied an economic boom, suggesting that patterns of Russian labor unrest are beginning to resemble those in other countries. Analysis of several recent strikes, meanwhile, suggests the early emergence of a new labor proto-movement, characterized by feelings of entitlement and injustice that stem in part from government rhetoric, while pushed into opposition by the state's refusal to accommodate genuine labor mobilization.     

The first Moscow station: An espionage footnote to cold war history

Views of intelligence

Abram N. Shulsky: Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence Brassey's (US), Inc., Washington, D.C., 1991, 222p., $19.95.

An introduction to intelligence

Abram N. Shulsky: Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence Brassey's, Washington, D.C., 1991, 222 p., $19.95.

Scuttling notions

G. J. A. O'Toole: Honorable Treachery: A History of U.S. Intelligence, Espionage, and Covert Action from the American Revolution to the CIA A A Morgan Entrekin Book, The Atlantic Monthly Press, New York, 1991, 591 p., $35.

Which will is will?

Peter Sammartino: The Man Who Was William Shakespeare Cornwall Books, New York, 1990, 132p., $14.50.

FDR's mistake? Not likely

Good camera, poor exposure

Morris G. Moses: Spy Camera—The Minox Story Hove Press Books, Sussex, U.K., 1990, 194 p., $37.95.

Istanbul a la Casablanca

Barry Rubin: Istanbul Intrigues McGraw‐Hill, New York, 1989, 301 p., $18.95.

Understanding terrorism

David E. Long: The Anatomy Of Terrorism The Free Press, New York, 1990, 224 p., $22.95.     

Pussy Riot as agent provocateur: conspiracy theories and the media construction of nation in Putin's Russia

This article studies the impact of conspiracy theories on post-Soviet Russian nation-building through the analysis of how the Pussy Riot trial was constructed by the Russian media. Conspiracy theory as a phenomenon is defined as a populist tool for relocation of power among different political actors, which creates identities and boosts social cohesion. This interpretation of conspiracy theories helps investigate how the media constructed the image of Pussy Riot and their supporters as a conspiring subversive minority, which threatened the Russian nation. The ability of conspiracy theory for swift social mobilization helped the authorities to strengthen the public support of its policies and model the Russian nation as ethnically and religiously homogeneous.