Author Archives: Marius Vacarelu

Azebaijan, cheia geostrategică a Asiei Centrale

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  • 22575 Views
  • 13 February 2018
  • Cercet. drd. Vlad A. Crișan

După destrămarea URSS, Azerbaijanul a fost statul ex-sovietic care alături de    republicile Baltice a avut o dezvoltare constantă și durabilă. Desigur, aici pot fi adresate unele critici regimului de la Baku cu privire la democrație, care în opinia multor analiști este doar mimată la Baku. Însă faptul adevărat este că acest stat a reușit să își gestioneze eficient resursele de care dispune pentru a deveni o societate prosperă. I se atribuie Azerbaijanului etichet

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Cecenia – o istorie tristă a rezistenței la rusificare

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  • 14568 Views
  • 12 February 2018
  • Viorel Irascu

Cecenia este o republică autonomă din cadrul marii Federații Ruse, aflată pe linia nordică a Munților Caucaz, având ca vecini la vest Ingușetia și Osetia de Nord, la est Republica Daghestan, la nord ținutul Stavropol din Rusia, iar la sud Georgia.

Situația Ceceniei este una singulară la nivelul cordonului de state tampon din Caucazul de Nord, fiind singura unde s-au dus două războaie civile, cel de-al doilea continuând ș

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Who is Pavel Grudinin?

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  • 10238 Views
  • 1 February 2018
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

The Communist Party surprised the world by nominating a new candidate for president. Its veteran leader and multi-time presidential candidate, Gennady Zyuganov, lost the party membership’s vote to run against President Putin in 2018, after announcing his bid on the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution.

Instead, a 57-year-old Sovkhoz owner who was not even a party member got the nomination.

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Who is Ksenia Sobchak?

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  • 10460 Views
  • 30 December 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

An unlikely presidential candidate, in 2017 socialite and TV personality, Ksenia Sobchak, announced her intention to run in the Russian Presidential Election 2018. She claimed this would be an ‘against all’[1] bid for the presidency.

Ksenia Sobchak will be the first woman to run for the Russian presidency in fourteen years. This move was greeted with cynicism and intrigue in Russia and the W

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How The Russian Presidential Election Works

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  • 10430 Views
  • 27 December 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

Since 2008, Russian presidents are directly elected to a six-year term and are limited to serving a maximum of two.

The Russian president is elected in a two round system. The first round (March 18) features all registered candidates on the ballot. If no candidate reaches a majority of votes, the second round takes place three weeks later and is a run-off between the two candidates with the highest vote.

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Russia: Four Things to Watch in 2018

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  • 10386 Views
  • 22 December 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

1. Putin's Probable Re-election

The 2018 presidential election is not so much about who will win, but who will later succeed Putin. According to the Russian constitution, Putin has one six-year term remaining. By the end of this term (2024), he will be in his 70s.

There appears no obvious successor emerging in the background. However, Putin himself was never expected to succeed Boris Yeltsin. This has led many commenta

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What Can Democrats Learn From Alabama’s Doug Jones?

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  • 14237 Views
  • 30 November 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

In ordinary circumstances, Doug Jones would already be preparing to move to Washington DC. The former prosecutor famous for convicting KKK members for a church bombing is up against gay bashing, God and gun lovin’, twice kicked out of elected office, Judge Roy Moore. A man who has eight accusers of sexual assault, all of whom were underage at the time of the allegations.

Yet, if one looks at all the recent polls, they show a ti

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Identitatea europeană, asiatică sau eurasiatică a Rusiei. Discursuri intelectuale, teorii speculative și luări de poziție ideologice

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  • 10588 Views
  • 6 November 2017
  • Dr. Anton Breiner

Problema filiației culturale multiple a identității rusești a reprezentat de-a lungul ultimelor trei secole și ceva o constantă a preocupărilor elitelor din Rusia, cunoscând un reviriment alimentat ideologic și politic în deceniile de după destrămarea Uniunii Sovietice și rămânând extrem de actuală în cea mai strictă contemporaneitate. În discursul acestor elite problema identității rusești lua inevitabil în considerare raportarea Rusiei la genomul cultural și ins

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The Revolution at 100, Stalin’s Terror at 80, Russia at 27

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  • 10110 Views
  • 4 November 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

 The Russian Government hoped nobody would notice, and sure enough, most of you did not. The 80th anniversary of the order that began the ‘Great Terror’ was ignored for lavish celebrations of Naval Day. In addition, the unveiling of the ‘Wall of Sorrows’ was ignored due to the release of Matilda.

As President Vladimir Putin stood at a podium in St. Petersburg earlier this year speaking of the high morals and professi

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Matilda: what was all the fuss about?

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  • 10402 Views
  • 30 October 2017
  • James Pearce , PhD Candidate

So there I was, opening night of the most controversial film of the year. I paid my 370 rubles for a ticket to see the much anticipated Matilda: secret of the Romanov house. As I walked in, I noticed two police officers; not the norm for any Russian cinema, and they were also there when I left. It turns out nobody wanted a scene caused so it was just a precaution.

As the theatre filled up, I noticed something about the

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