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John McKay surveys the revolutionary character of Dziga Vertov’s cinema
How were Vertov's films and writings revolutionary, and does their revolutionary character remain legible for us today?
Elton John as Gay Propaganda in Russia
An Imam in Kazan had prayed to prevent Elton John from performing because of his homosexuality. This is about as peaceful and spiritual as protests get.
The Problem with Johnson's Russia List
This is not an antisemitic dogwhistle, it’s an antisemitic cowbell.
Open Letter on the Termination of Russian Studies Faculty at Ohio University
Like you, we are wholeheartedly invested in the survival and recovery of higher education in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That recovery depends on the will of universities...
Monumental Politics: The Power of Public Memory in Putin’s Russia
The contemporary revival and politicization of Russia’s history begins with references to the glories of Kievan Rus, and progresses onwards through Soviet history. After the fall of the Soviet Union,...
Exhibit Review: "Russian Revolution: A Contested Legacy (1917-2017)"
This fall, the International Print Center New York commemorates the centennial of the Russian Revolution with the exhibit "Russian Revolution: A Contested Legacy" (1917-2017). Curator Masha Chlenova combines historical, early-Soviet,...
Thesis Profile: Neoliberal Disillusionment in Eastern Europe
Since 2008, many populist politicians have been citing neoliberalism and its focus on Western-style market deregulation, free trade, and transnationalism as the sources of the 2008 financial crisis. Post-communist economic...
Money Is Not Enough: The Role of Economic Incentives in Cooperative Nonproliferation Initiatives
The current main threats to Russian nuclear materials are determined insiders, coupled with a questionable commitment by Moscow to ensuring sustainability and improving security culture.
A New Treatise for Russian Renewables
Spies in the House of Rock
We end up with a CIA whose power and effectiveness would bring joy to Dick Cheney’s latest heart and prompt him to shoot another friend in the face in celebration.
The Silence of American Hawks About Kiev’s Atrocities
Among the crucial questions rarely discussed in the US political-media establishment: What is the role of the “neo-fascist” factor in Kiev’s “anti-terrorist” ideology and military operations?
Russian Symbolists and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Part I
“Absurd!” “Perverse!” “Puerile!” “Frantic trash!” Thus fumed London critics who attended the 1850 exhibition of the little-known Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. For the three young artists who dreamt of revolutionizing the Royal...
Russia’s Grasp on Okhotsk Will Intensify South China Sea Tensions
The closing of the Sea of Okhotsk will also greatly exacerbate maritime tensions in the greater Pacific.
The media game: Putting on the Cold War goggles
As the tension between Russia and the West turns into a deeper rift in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis, many have been tempted to declare the beginning of a...
The Eye of Sauron over Moscow, or, Revenge of the Orcs
Nothing says “Evil Empire” like the Eye of Sauron.
Crime, Punishment, and Kanye West
The more I thought about it the truer it seemed, that Kanye was the Dostoevsky of our time.
There and Back Again (Russia's Alien Nations)
Was the Soviet Union the model for Mordor?
The Last Will and Testament of Sergei Esenin: Cultural History of a Mystification, Part III
In the end, he was released as partially insane, for it was noted that he considered himself an incarnation of the Buddha and believed that he desperately needed money to...
Guns for Lenin: A New Jersey Love Story
A family stands in a field. The woman has flowers in her hair and a revolver in her hand. The man stands proudly with a rifle beside him, while their...
Bigger Nets Mean More Goals: Russian Cultural Diplomacy and the KHL
Despite not being an official government entity, or perhaps precisely because it is not associated with the Kremlin and thus is not seen as a propaganda tool, the Kontinental Hockey...