Lake Baikal
Often called the Pearl of Siberia, Lake Baikal is a natural wonder that almost defies description. Its 1600 meter (almost 1 mile) depth holds 20%…
Russia
Irkutsk
Irkutsk: A Fragile Jewel of Siberia The land of Siberia brims with mystery and silence. Nearly incomprehensible size, it brims with natural resources, diverse ecologies…
Vladivostok
Vladivostok: A Short History of Russian Rule in the East The construction of Vladivostok was the culmination of Russia’s long drive to establish a major…
Chukotka
Chukotka: A US Neighbor at the End of the Earth Writers call Russia’s Chukotka Region “the shore of two oceans.” Indeed, Chukotka stretches from the…
Notes From the Field: Life in a Reindeer Collective (part 2)
This is the second in a two-part series. Read part one here. The Evenki children I met were agile, happy, and rarely disciplined. They were…
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg: Russia’s Vortex of Change A curious calm presides over the city of St. Petersburg. It is not the calm of a tired city:…
Notes From the Field: Life in a Reindeer Collective
I first became aware of the Evenki reindeer-herding nomads of the Siberian Far East as an undergraduate pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Anthropology. Fascinated…
Politics in the Former Soviet Union: A Personal View from an American born of Russian Immigrants
On December 3, 2007 I awoke with a hangover, even though I had not imbibed the night before. The evening of December 2 was my…
The Medvedev Economy
The Russian economy is due for a major shift. Much of the rapid growth from the past eight years has come from something called “unused…
All the Next President’s Men
Roll over siloviki, the civiliki are on their way. Dmitry Medvedev, United Russia and Vladimir Putin’s presidential candidate, is not a member of the dreaded…