Russian Universities, Competitive or not?
Russian universities today face many difficult challenges. At the national level, schools must provide highly qualified personnel for the national economy, but also have a new mission: to become active actors in the diversification of the economy and the creation of innovation.
Russia's virtual: the new reality?
Russia's blogosphere has until recently been largely written off as a politically blunt parallel space. The Facebook mobilisation of 50,000 protestors has challenged such assumptions, writes Julien Nocetti.
Russia Offers Up to $20 Billion to Help Shore Up Euro
BRUSSELS — Russia said Thursday that it might pledge up to $20 billion via the International Monetary Fund to help stabilize the euro, highlighting the effects of the sovereign debt crisis on Europe’s global influence.
Russia to Remain at Top of Political Agenda
Which country can Russia consider as a partner and a friend, if such country exists?
- It’s an uneasy question to be honest, given the fact that the main driver of Russian foreign policy is to maintain its strategic solitude. I think that Russian diplomacy is very active in different parts of the world and try to set up some good relations with many countries.
Russian internet demonstrates high level of political maturity
How do you assess the Russian internet, in general? Is it different from the English web or not, in political terms?
- First of all, we should make a distinction between the official position on the internet as a political issue for the Russian government, and what happens in domestic terms. In the first case, it's very interesting to observe the desire by the Russian state to get back on the web.
Vladimir Putin turns 60
What are, in your opinion, his main successes during these 60 years?
- Vladimir Putin’s main success is his ability to be elected the President of Russia for two times; he is certainly a leader with a prominent standing in the Russian history. However, the question of whether the third presidency can be regarded as a success or an achievement is still open. The conditions under which the elections were held, especially the political opposition will be a political problem for him and for Russia for the next 6 years. My answer is that the first two elections were definite successes, but I wonder about the third one.
Russia: the bear's grip falters
We should all be able to agree on a fact: despite the growing international indignation toward it, Russia’s position on Syria has remained remarkably consistent throughout the crisis there. By blocking passage of any resolution at the UN Security Council, Russia has gained both an international visibility and influence that go far beyond its means. And it is precisely this on which the Kremlin seeks to capitalize.
What lies behind Russia's new laws ?
Does the introduction of these laws lead to a more civilized political and cultural discourse in Russia?
- The main stake of these laws does not really deal with the emergence of a more civilized political discourse in Russia. What ultimately lies behind the Duma’s new laws is a mixture of nervousness about a political environment that is wholly unfamiliar, and a belief in the methods of Vladimir Putin’s previous stints as president.
Russia's diplomacy is more active than it was ten years ago
Since December 2011 there is a real convergence between the perception of President Vladimir Putin and the perception of Russia, especially, in the Western media.
That leads to several comments. The first is the feeling that there is now a new, much more concentrated power in the Kremlin, and that to some extent leads to the question about the very difficult challenge for Russia to build balanced institutions. And there is the perception that, on this particular point, Russia has not made progress. And this is the main area of concern as seen from outside.
The Russian Internet Economy
The Russian Internet economy is demonstrating a substantial rate of growth, one that is significantly outperforming the rest of the domestic economy. According to joint research by the Higher School of Economics and the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, while in 2011 the Internet economy accounted for just 1% of Russia’s GDP, it was expected to grow at a rate of about 30% in 2012. According to BCG reports, the Internet contributed to 1.9% of Russian GDP in 2010, and is expected to grow by up to 2.8% by 2016. E-commerce, which combines retail and electronic payment systems, accounts for the large majority of the Internet economy, but other segments are also growing. Advertising is the fastest growing part of the Russian Internet economy, growing at a rate of 50% annually.
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