Ben Dalton

wbd212@nyu.edu
Articles by Ben Dalton

Who is to blame for US-Russia tensions?

Call it a new cold war or a “hot peace,” US-Russia relations are terrible, yet within recent memory the two countries still cooperated on a range of issues. To answer which side is to blame for current tensions, Stephen Cohen debated Michael McFaul at Columbia University.

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Charting religious regulation and mobilization in Central Asia

Exclusive state support for a single religion does necessarily mean that the faithful are blasé. Pauline Jones offered a theory explaining why certain kinds of religious regulation lead to different responses from the public.

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Where does Putin’s support come from?

“Collective euphoria” may explain the surge in support for Putin that followed Russia’s annexation of Crimea, said Graeme Robertson.

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Putin’s Last Term?

Surprising no one, Vladimir Putin secured his fourth and possibly final presidential term in an election last March. A panel of scholars discussed what the next six years of Putin could mean for Russia and the world.

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Soviet Filmmakers in Africa

Filmmaker and Visiting Fulbright Scholar Alexander Markov spoke of the line between propaganda and art that Soviet documentarians walked in Africa.

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Post-Soviet Political Theater

Jessica Pisano spent 15 years learning why everyday Russians and Ukrainians choose to participate in “theatrical” elections. She found coercion, but also individual agency.

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Do anti-corruption campaigns work? David Szakonyi presents evidence from Russia.

Research from Russia suggests that financial disclosure requirements may dissuade corrupt incumbents from seeking re-election.

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“Dreaming of Duskobor’e: 1917 and Canada’s Dukhobors” with David McDonald, University of Wisconsin – Madison

David McDonald presented his research on Canada’s Dukhobors, a religious group with origins in the Russian Empire, in a roundtable discussion with other scholars. Yanni Kotsonis moderated.

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Entrepreneurs and Political Prisoners: Ksenia Sobchak at Columbia University

Russian presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak capped her US visit with a talk at Columbia University.

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The Long Hangover – Putin’s Russia and the Ghosts of the Past

Shaun Walker discussed his new book, which examines the Kremlin’s use of Russian and Soviet history to reinforce Putin’s regime.

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Panel discusses whether Russia’s managed election hints at change

The four panelists argued that the elections reflect a country undergoing significant changes behind the scenes.

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