Tucked behind the circa 1764 Smolny Cathedral sits the Political Science department of the St. Petersburg State University. The vast convent, considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the famed Italian Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, is situated on the shore of the Neva River, just before it swoops westward and dissipates into the Gulf […]
St. Petersburg State University’s Courageous Voices Read More »
Imagining Workable Solutions Why don’t you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why
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The Unforeseen Consequences of War “’Are you okay, man?’ ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ It’s a lie. I wonder if I will ever be good again.” –David Bellavia Multiple consequences stem from Russia’s appointment of an autonomous Chechen leader. This, coupled with Moscow’s lack of recognition of the Chechen people’s only true representative, indirectly led to the
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Early in the morning of February 28th, 2015 Moscow time, unknown assailants gunned down Boris Nemtsov – physicist and strong supporter of liberal democratic reforms – on a popular bridge just down the hill from the Kremlin and Red Square. This is the same bridge where, in 1993, Boris Yeltsin positioned tanks in an attempt
Boris Nemtsov’s Untimely Death and the Ongoing Threat to Dissidence in Russia Read More »
The conflict spreading throughout East Ukraine is an extension of a history defined by ongoing dispute. Over the past century, vast expanses of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea, changed hands from one country to the next until the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. For instance, up until the 1950s, contested land was given to
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THE OLD AND THE NEW Not long ago, the Republican Party stood largely for pragmatic military policy, stable economic measures, and sensible national and international diplomacy. Think of the impressive successes inspired by this political vision, such as when President Reagan pulled the country out of a recession and ended the Cold War. Unfortunately, as most will admit (including
Seeing Red: Modern Strategies of the GOP Read More »
