Z Nightly Commentaries
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Recent Z Nightly Commentaries
Kagarlitsky: Market Cheerleaders
Oct 22, 2008
The only good news about the current economic crisis is that the global economy will collapse long before humanity has time to destroy the planet's ecology, writes Boris Kagarlitsky.
Kagarlitsky: Bumpy Ride
Oct 10, 2008
When some analysts began discussing an upcoming drop in real estate prices last spring, most economists reacted with open contempt. "How can you speak of a drop when prices are climbing daily?" they asked. In the past six weeks, however, circumstances have changed so drastically that the only questions now being asked are: "How severe will the crash be?" and "How long will the real estate crisis last?" Even a decision by some real estate agencies and builders to give corporate buyers discounts of up to 40 percent has not been sufficient to revive the market.
Kagarlitsky: US & Russia
Aug 30, 2008
Internationally the war is a big blow for the US, at least in Central Europe and the Caucasus. It has suddenly shown that the influence and control of the sole superpower is limited. There are situations when the superpower cannot protect its client states such as Georgia.
Kagarlitsky: Georgia Conflict
Aug 27, 2008
Fortunately, the Russia-Georgia war was short-lived, but its repercussions will be felt for longer. By defeating Georgia and showing that Washington was unable to defend its own ally, Russia humiliated the United States in front of the whole world.
Kagarlitsky: Capitalism
Aug 13, 2008
When Vladimir Putin was president, he liked to give short, somewhat ironic answers to difficult questions. In 2000, for example, when U.S. television talk show host Larry King asked him what happened to the Kursk, Putin answered, "It sank."
Kagarlitsky: Stradivarius
Jun 26, 2008
Who would think that a banal song contest like Eurovision can trigger new round of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. When Kyiv won the right to host the finals of the 50th Eurovision contest, Moscow was sick with envy and spent millions to catch up with the Western neighbor. It cost Russia several expensive but futile attempts. And finally with his second attempt at Eurovision 2008 Russian pop singer Dima Bilan won the contest.
Kagarlitsky: Labor Code
May 28, 2008
The Russian labour code, written to suit the interests of employers, has pushed workers to unite and oppose its draconian terms.
Kagarlitsky: Two-Headed Eagle
May 25, 2008
It was rather charming how the inauguration of the new president and the appointment of the old president as the new prime minister fit nicely between Labor Day on May 1 and Victory Day on May 9. Russians commemorated the events by celebrating nonstop for 10 days in a row.
Kagarlitsky: Communism's Crisis
May 18, 2008
A decade ago, the triumph of liberalism in Europe was so overwhelming that even parties that traced their political lineage to the early 20th-century revolutionary working class movement did not to speak openly about the radical transformation of society. Communist parties closed down or hastily reinvented themselves as Social Democrats, while Social Democratic parties became liberal parties.
Kagarlitsky: Fresh Coat of Paint
Mar 31, 2008
Once a strong state was in place to secure the oligarchs' freshly acquired assets, the keys are ceremoniously handed over to the liberal faction surrounding Medvedev.
Kagarlitsky: Mad Election
Mar 24, 2008
The Russian presidential election was the most democratic for many years, but the farce in which everyone knew the result for months reveals the shallow nature of liberal democracy.
Kagarlitsky: Day of Protest
Mar 04, 2008
The worldwide day of protests called for by the WSF's International Committee channeled some significant popular discontent in Russia but were largely ignored by the media or exploited by the Communist Party for electoral reasons.
Kagarlitsky: Labor in Russia
Feb 26, 2008
Workers of the 'Ford' plant in Vsevolozhsk wrestled a compromise, but with the invigorated labour movement, the struggle for the amendment of the Russian Labor code is likely to become the most important political issue, writes Boris Kagarlitsky.
Kagarlitsky: The President's Fate
Jan 12, 2008
With Dmitry Medvedev - Putin's favoured candidate - as President, Russia could be in for a new bout of liberalisation. But Putin will not take a back seat as Prime Minister and political conflict looks a likely outcome. After emerging from New Year's celebrations and returning to the daily routine, the country is gradually waking up to the fact that it will soon have a new president. Those who don't want to accept this reality can take solace in President Vladimir Putin's promise to stay on as prime minister. But any politician's promises must be taken with a grain of salt, and this is especially true considering that there are two politicians who are doing the promising. Putin's chosen successor, First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, promised to give Putin the prime minister's spot after assuming the presidency, and Putin promised to accept the offer. But what will happen if either of them reneges following the March election?
Kagarlitsky: A draw for Ford but a victory for all
Dec 29, 2007
The strike at the Ford factory in Vsevolozhsk, located right outside St. Petersburg, ended on Dec. 14. It was the longest and most intense standoff in post-Soviet times. The strike began on Nov. 20 and continued for three weeks. According to union activists, the plant's conveyors came to a full stop. Then management threw together one shift mainly composed of office workers and, toward the end of the strike, a second shift to keep the assembly line running. But the quality control department continued its strike, which means that cars produced in early December might not meet all of the technical standards.
Kagarlitsky: No Need to Pad the Vote
Nov 27, 2007
No Need to Pad the Vote
Kagarlitsky: Odd questions
Nov 15, 2007
Odd questions
Kolko: The Financial Crisis-An Outline
Oct 16, 2007
The global financial crisis that is now unfolding was both predictable and predicted. It might have happened before the subprime mortgage meltdown in the United States triggered it, but it is important to stress that it was expected. "An accident waiting to happen," as Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, put it. And now it is taking banks, investment houses, hedge funds, and speculators with it-some are just losing huge sums of money, others are going bankrupt or are up for sale cheaply. Where and how this crisis ends is utterly unpredictable, but it is already very serious.
Kagarlitsky: Like a Crime Story
Oct 02, 2007
Producers of the "Successor" reality show that incessantly surprises both the Russian audience and the critics seem to have borrowed the idea and the plot from classic detective stories. In the beginning, they made audience closely follow the rivalry of t
Nov 11, 2008
It looks like there will be no war between Russia and Ukraine. It is clear that this fact will upset many in Moscow and Kyiv, but, unfortunately, there is a need to face realities. The efforts made by militarism heralds, admirers of Ukrainian hetman Ivan Mazepa and defenders of Russia's Black Sea Fleet proved to be futile. They let the chance slip.