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Moldovan Politics: Voronin and the Communists
The Fall and Rise and Fall of Moldova’s Communists The following is part of a series of resources that seeks to explain Moldova’s current political…
Articles by Josh Wilson
Josh has lived in Moscow since 2003, when he first arrived to study Russian with SRAS. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. At SRAS, Josh assists in program development and leads our Home and Abroad Programs. He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter, the SRAS Family of Sites, and Vestnik. He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.
Moldovan Politics: Presidential Crises 2009-2018
Trading One Crisis for Another: Timofti and Dodin The following is part of a series of resources that seeks to explain Moldova’s current political situation…
Moldovan Politics: Recent Scandals and Fallout
Recent Scandals: the Downfall of Some, the Rise of Others The following is part of a series of resources that seeks to explain Moldova’s current…
Moldovan Politics: The Rise of Vladimir Plahotniuc
Plahotniuc: For Stability or Authoritarianism? The following is part of a series of resources that seeks to explain Moldova’s current political situation through the biographies…
Moldovan Politics: Introduction
Moldovan politics are some of Europe’s most complicated and interesting. In an era when democracies are increasingly appraised by the rapidity of changes and degree…
Vladimir Putin’s Annual News Conference in Side-by-Side Translation
The following is the official video, transcript, and official translation for Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference as given on December 14, 2017. Note that the…
Vladimir Putin’s Annual News Conference in Side-by-Side Translation – Part II
The following is the official video, transcript, and official translation for Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference as given on December 14, 2017. Note that the…
Central Asia: Core and Periphery
Central Asia is, by its most common definition, those five “stans” that were formerly Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. However, this has…
Alexei Navalny
Alexei Navalny Modern Liberal Nationalism See also: Alexei Navalny: Mayoral Platform for 2013 (in English) Alexei Anatolievich Navalny is a lawyer, activist, and politician. He…
Who’s Who in Kyrgyz Politics
This resource discusses many place names in Kyrgyzstan. Geography is important to Kyrgyz politics, which are marked by a distinct north-south split. In the north,…
Europe: Divisions and Unifications
The European continent is diverse. Many of its countries, though smaller than many US states, can be further broken into regions that differ from each…
What Do The Escalations in US-Russian Sanctions Mean?
The US Congress has recently passed sweeping new sanctions on Russia. Today, they were signed into law by President Trump. Both the sanctions and Russia’s…
What is the Significance of the Russia Day Protests?
On June 12, heavily armed riot police arrested at least 1,720 people across Russia in the second nationwide anti-corruption protest since March. Although Moscow authorities…
Sergei Sobyanin
Sergei Sobyanin and the Transformation of Moscow Sergei Semyonich Sobyanin is the current Mayor of Moscow, a position he was promoted to under then-president Dimitri…
Elvira Nabiullina
Elvira Nabiullina and Saving Russia’s Financial System Elvira Nabiullina is currently ranked the most powerful woman in Russia and has been named one of the…
Vyacheslav Volodin
Vyacheslav Volodin and the Future of the Russian Presidency Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin has been a stalwart member of the United Russia party since its inception…
Osh & The Fergana Valley: Diversity and Division
Boasting breathtaking mountaintop views and an expansive outdoor bazaar, Osh is one of Central Asia’s major commercial centers and one of its oldest, most socio-culturally…
Poland: An Emerging Central European Power?
Poland joined the European Union in 2004 as part of the EU’s “big bang” of Eastern expansion. This broke the Cold War’s East-West divide and…
Nagorno-Karabakh: The Volatile Core of the South Caucasus
The Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is one of four frozen conflicts that emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Legally recognized as a part of…
Origins of Russia: Moscow Rises to Tsardom (Prehistory to 1584)
Moscow is not just a city. It was a fort that became a city, that became a state, that became an empire, that became a…