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Kagarlitsky: Slavs Put Up Their Dukes
Feb 12, 2006
The dispute was short but bitter. As it celebrated the new year, Russian society did not notice that on the morning of Jan. 1 it had been drawn into the biggest foreign affairs conflict since the end of the Cold War. The Kremlin knew in advance that Ukrai
Kagarlitsky: A Return of the Proletariat
Nov 20, 2005
On November 7th at a demonstration commemorating an anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, there was a group of radical kids from AKM - Vanguard of Red Youth, Russian equivalent of Western black Bloc. They were surrounded by the police an strictly contr
Kagarlitsky: Forgetting Glastnost
Nov 01, 2005
Alexander Yakovlev perestoikaÕs key ideologue was laid to rest last week with much pomp and circumstance. Yegor Yakovlev a former editor of ÒMoskovskiye NovostiÓ (ÒMoscow NewsÓ), a ÒcultÓ weekly of the same period, had passed away a few weeks before. The
Kagarlitsky: The German Stalemate
Sep 30, 2005
Relationships between Social Democrats and their electorate in Germany remind me of the families where husbands have a habit of occasional going on the spree. Every time, coming home from carousal, they apologize and pledge that it will never happen again
Kagarlitsky: Tempest Over America
Sep 15, 2005
The Tambov students have twice won in the lottery. The first time happened when they got a chance to leave their godforsaken provincial town for New Orleans to have a training session there. The second one occurred when they managed to survive in that
Kolhatkar: KatrinaÕs Fund Raising Frenzy
Sep 10, 2005
As I was driving to work last week I scanned my radio dial, listening to the mostly commercial radio stations on Los AngelesÕ FM spectrum. Within a few seconds of listening to each station (English and Spanish language alike), it was clear that everyone w
Kagarlitsky: Cook The Leftists
Aug 16, 2005
I can't help admitting that when Mikhail Khodorkovsky was a model liberal oligarch, I fancied him more. What can one expect from an upright liberal? First of all, he should be tolerant towards others' views. He may (even has to) feel strongly about the le
Kagarlitsky: Africa First
Jul 28, 2005
The terrorist attacks in London have given the Russian press more food for thought and discussion. Had it not been for the explosions, death of people, search for the malefactors, the journalists wouldn't have had the slightest clue of what to write about
Kagarlitsky: The EU's Crisis at the Top
Jun 30, 2005
Last month, the French and Dutch voted against the European Union Constitution. Last week, EU leaders could not agree on the EU budget when they met in Brussels. The project of European integration is in crisis.
Kagarlitsky: Schizophrenic Celebrations
May 21, 2005
The Russian authorities have a serious problem with official holidays. What are national holidays good for, anyway? They are not just about giving people an extra day off. No, they have an important political function. They are designed to reinforce in th
Kagarlitsky: Social Forum in Russia
May 10, 2005
On the weekend of April 16 and 17, the first Russian Social Forum was held in Moscow. On the campus of the Moscow University of the Humanities, members of left, trade union, environmental, human rights and disabled organisations gathered to discuss strate
Kagarlitsky: Riding a Tiger
Apr 19, 2005
To hear the Kremlin tell it, all of the recent revolutions in former Soviet republics were instigated by Washington and directed exclusively against Russia. Experts authorized to speak on behalf of the leadership explain that events of this nature undermi
Kagarlitsky: Tightening the Next Screws
Mar 29, 2005
Russian security officials are stating with satisfaction that despite Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov's death, the situation in the Caucasus has not changed radically for the worse, contrary to all expectations. A downed helicopter doesn't count; things li
Kagarlitsky: North Atlantic Disinterest
Mar 05, 2005
On his recent travels through Europe, U.S. President George W. Bush tried to put his best face forward. He was as polite and well mannered as he could manage. In Paris, he listened attentively to President Jacques Chirac speaking in French. In Eastern Eur
Kagarlitsky: Anti-Semites Go Public
Feb 11, 2005
Nineteen State Duma deputies petitioned the Prosecutor General to ban Jews. The document was published right on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and coincided with President Vladimir Putin's appearance at a somber commemoration. The presiden
Kagarlitsky: A Visit to the Colonel
Jan 16, 2005
It is less than a month since Colonel Hugo Chavez, the radical and charismatic president of Venezuela, spoke in Moscow to an enraptured crowd of left-wing youth and intelligentsia. Now I am in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, at a big conference organi
Kagarlitsky: PutinÕs Ukrainian Catastrophe
Dec 17, 2004
On RussiaÕs state television channels, there was hysteria. Astonished viewers, plunged into a cold war atmosphere, learned that neighbouring Ukraine was experiencing a coup dÕŽtat planned by foreign spy services. The enemies were so cunning that they had
Kagarlitsky: Putin’s Ukrainian Catastrophe
Dec 17, 2004
On Russia’s state television channels, there was hysteria. Astonished viewers, plunged into a cold war atmosphere, learned that neighbouring Ukraine was experiencing a coup d’état planned by foreign spy services. The enemies were so cunning that they had organized violations of the electoral regulations, provoking demonstrations by the opposition. The aim of all this was to bring the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko to power instead of the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich. If we were to “lose†Ukraine, Russia would never again be a great power, the commentators all concluded.
Kagarlitsky: No More Kremlin Wizardry
Oct 19, 2004
It was clear from the outset that President Vladimir Putin's second term would differ markedly from his first. Even the legion of well-connected experts insisted that the president would need time to solidify his hold on power. After accomplishing this ta
Mar 20, 2006
France has once again become the center of attention. First of all, the European Constitution was snowed under by the French people, then immigrant youngsters were rioting in the suburbs, now the students of Sorbonne, who are way more well-off, have spark