Matt Robertson: From Russian History to Environment
Matt Robertson is the Programs Director at Tahoe Baikal Institute (TBI), an NGO that connects two of the world’s unique lake ecosystems and, in doing so, promotes…
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The Armenian Colonies in Ukraine: Conflict, Cooperation, and Assimilation
The early modern period from 1500-1800 has been focused upon in recent scholarship as a unique era separated from the medieval and the modern. This…
Lake Baikal in Space and Place: Connections of Local Residents to Natural Resources and the Role they Play in Protecting them
Every year hundreds of thousands of travelers make the pilgrimage to the breath-taking shores of Lake Baikal in Siberia. Unfortunately, the awe-inspiring natural beauty of…
Historical Context and Modern Demands: Reinterpreting Linguistic Human Rights in Ukraine
The concept of human rights in an international context and on the scale that exists today did not come into being until the 20th century….
Cooperative Ventures of Russian Civil Society: Three Case Studies from the Memorial Human Rights Group
Democracy – in particular, a healthy liberal democracy – also requires a public that is organized for democracy, socialized to its norms and values, and…
Five Russia-Related Issues to Watch this Semester
The SRAS Newsletter has been on vacation for much of the summer. However, we’ve continued to follow the major issues surrounding Russia. To bring our…
Lara Peterson: Employment in Russia’s Wilderness
Lara Peterson is the Russia, Europe and Near Asia Program Coordinator for the US Forest Service International Programs. She holds dual degrees in natural resources…
“Against All”: Protest Voting in Post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan
In the months leading up to Russia’s most recent state Duma elections, ‘Just Russia’ party leader Sergei Mironov demanded that the country have the option…
How Does Income Affect Suicide Rates? Regional Evidence from Russia
I believe no man ever threw away life, while it was worth keeping. For such is our natural horror of death, that small motives will…
The Moscow Protest: My Experience
Moscow is very cold in the winter. There isn’t a lot that would motivate a large crowd of people to stand outside in the freezing snow and…
Russian Election Protests: A view from Irkutsk
For several weeks up to the elections for State Duma, flyers and newsletters were handed out throughout Irkutsk by representatives from many different parties, primarily…
Deputy Prime Minister Shuvalov’s Speech in Vladivostok
While I wasn’t able to sit down with my family for a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, I was treated to a certain Thanksgiving Day surprise. …
Recurring Themes in the Kyrgyz Revolutions
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan became an independent nation. Its independence, however, was not the result of a struggle for self-governance by…
Youth Crime under Perestroika
In a Komsomolskaya Pravda article dated April 13, 1993, O. Karmaza wrote that “in recent times, we have destroyed everything that could be destroyed. This applies to…
An Unfavorable Balance: Government and Human Rights in the Russian Mindset
The following was written as mid-term essay for SRAS’s cultural program in St. Petersburg, “The Russians.” Students were encouraged to draw upon not only the…
Environmental Policy and Politics of Lake Baikal: A review of physical, psychological, and political contexts
Lake Baikal in Siberia has a rich biological and cultural history. It is highly valued for its aesthetic qualities and rich biological diversity. In addition,…
The Pupil of the People: Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy’s Peasant Schools at Yasnaya Polyana
Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy is best known as the author of some of the world’s most famous literature, specifically the epic novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina. Tolstoy…
The Chinese in Russia’s Far East: A Clash of Civilizations in Vladivostok
As an American of Chinese descent, I’ve always had an interest in China. In 2008, I lived in Beijing, China studying Mandarin Chinese and business….
Chernobyl: A Short History of the Human Impact on Ukraine and its Neighbors
On April 26, 1986 the worst nuclear accident in history took place in Chernobyl, Ukraine as a result of an unnecessary safety test. Workers at…
US Elections Come to Moscow
The 2008 US elections promise to bring historic results. Not only will the next president be the first sitting senator elected since John F. Kennedy…