Topic: Center for Political Technologies

All Content

At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw – a little

Secretary of State John Kerry sought to ease diplomatic tensions with Russia in preparation for meetings between Putin and Obama later this year. But Syria remains a major sticking point.
US and Russia take tentative positive step amid blacklist battle

A Kremlin official said Obama's proposals on how to move forward on defense and trade were 'constructive' – high praise, considering Russia's frustration over US blacklisting of its officials.
'Close your foreign accounts or be fired,' Putin tells Russian officials

The Russian president ordered all state officials to declare assets and divest foreign-held funds, in an apparent effort to tighten the Kremlin's controls and stem corruption.
Russian beauty queens offer opinions beyond world peace, making people mad

Russians have embraced beauty pageants since the end of the Soviet era, but in recent months at least two beauty queens have triggered media scandal over their criticisms of Russia.
A ballet villain gone bad? Bolshoi dancer accused of planning acid attack

The January attack on the legendary ballet troupe's artistic director was allegedly masterminded by Pavel Dmitrichenko, a dancer who specialized in villainous roles like Ivan the Terrible.
Newly Russian, Gérard Depardieu tours his adopted homeland

But critics say that his high-profile, flamboyant appearances echo the old Soviet-era practice of using sympathetic foreign celebrities to reflect well on the government.
Is Russia's Orthodox Church privileged or persecuted?

The Russian Orthodox Church's ties with the government are facing push back. Church leaders have decried recent incidents, including a punk band's protest inside a church.
For Vladimir Putin, winning Russia's presidency may be the easy part

The Russian election has been engineered for a Vladimir Putin victory. His true challenge will come afterward, when he has to rule a country increasingly dissatisfied with his rule.
Why opposition is urging voters to sabotage ballots in Russia election

Voters should spoil their ballots in Russia's elections Sunday to protest a stage-managed process, says a leader whose party has been banned. One poll finds that 80 percent of Russians say voting has no impact.
12/02/2011 12:55 pm
Seat warmer: Russia's Medvedev stepping aside for 'more popular' Putin

Dmitry Medvedev admits a deal was made in which he would hold onto the presidency until Putin was constitutionally allowed to return to office. Medvedev's supporters are not amused.
09/30/2011 03:18 pm
Why half of Russians regret the 1991 August Coup

After the August Coup that dissolved the Soviet Union and secured democratic reforms, many Russians saw limitless possibilities. Twenty years later, many are disillusioned.
08/22/2011 02:55 pm
In Russia, a blogger takes on powerful Putin

Alexei Navalny's charge that Prime Minister Putin is abusing his power is gaining traction, showing the growing clout of Russia's blogosphere.
06/24/2011 02:04 pm
Russia's only war criminal Yury Budanov assassinated in Moscow

Yury Budanov served six years in prison for war crimes in Chechnya before his parole in 2009. His assassination could be a revenge attack or an attempt to stir ethnic strife.
06/10/2011 03:20 pm
Medvedev slams Putin's 'inexcusable' Libya 'crusade' comments

The sharp exchange of words on Monday reveals what some Russia experts say is a growing rift between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.
03/22/2011 01:52 pm
To ease investment jitters, Medvedev allies float Khordorkovsky release

Signals from the Kremlin suggest that Russian President Medvedev may be weighing clemency for long-jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, another sign of a deepening split with Prime Minister Putin.
01/19/2011 12:06 pm
After Khordokovsky verdict, taking stock of business and corruption in Russia

Russia lashed out Tuesday at Western leaders who voiced their concern over Monday's conviction of Russian tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
12/28/2010 03:31 pm
Belarus risks alienating both Russia, EU in wake of political crackdown

Police in Belarus arrested more than 600 activists protesting Sunday's election that handed President Alexander Lukashenko a fourth term. He told opponents Monday, 'You are messing with the wrong guy.'
12/21/2010 10:58 am
Chechen parliament attack a threat to Kremlin strongman

A major militant attack on the Chechen parliament is raising doubts about Kremlin-backed Ramzan Kadyrov's boasts that he's pacified Chechnya.
10/19/2010 01:40 pm
In shift, Kremlin reopens cases of Russian reporters' unsolved murders

The announcement came during the Kremlin's meeting today with the Committee to Protect Journalists. Rights groups have been pressing to address major unsolved murders, such as the slaying of Anna Politkovskaya.
09/30/2010 01:30 pm
Why Russia wants 'Enemy No. 1' Akhmed Zakayev back

Russia considers Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev, picked up in Warsaw today under an international arrest warrant, as 'Enemy No. 1.'
09/17/2010 03:58 pm
Russia bombing: Jihadis or sign of other trouble in north Caucasus?

A Russia bomb that killed six people in the Russian city of Stavropol has led to speculation about jihadis or Islamic militants. But analysts worry about a widening circle of instability – and players – in the north Caucasus.
05/27/2010 02:11 pm
Pragmatism spurs Russia and Georgia toward smoother relations

Signs of a thaw between Russia and Georgia include the reopening of one border post on the major Caucasus highway and a possible move to resume direct air links. Relations between Russia and Georgia behave been in a freeze since last year's war over breakaway Georgian territories.
12/28/2009 10:55 am
Medvedev pitches economic – but not political – changes for Russia

In a state-of-the-nation speech Thursday, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev reviewed his own pet economic innovations but didn't criticize the tightly controlled political edifice
11/12/2009 12:00 am
Global News Blog In Russia, Putin's democracy looking more like a facade

Former leader Mikhail Gorbachev and others are outraged after last week's elections, which only 3 percent of Russians believed were fair, according to a poll.
10/19/2009 01:00 am
Ten years on, Russia's Putin has gone from 'nobody' to unshakeably powerful

He has used a vigorous image and ruthless political strategy to recentralize state power. Some analysts expect he will soon formally return to the presidency.
08/11/2009 01:00 am