Russia Invades Georgia

When I got to work this morning I asked my colleagues what they thought of Russia invading Georgia. Much to my chagrin, they didn't know Georgia was a country and thought I was making a strange joke about Russians in Atlanta. No, its true, Russia did invade Georgia in attempt to back up their peace keeping forces which have been trying to keep Georgia from wiping out separatist South Ossetia. These peace keeping forces have recently come under Georgian attack and this invasion is Russia's response. As someone who has studied the area and history of this conflict for years it hardly surprises me. I do find it interesting that most of the articles discussing this matter are quoting ex-President current Prime Minister Putin rather than President Medvedev. Seems like Putin is retaining a good deal of power. Here is some non-CNN coverage in case you are interested. I have linked to English versions only which limited my choices.

Pravda.ru - Russian newspaper, Pravda is the Russian word for truth, take that as you want.(English version)
BBC - I like their timeline of events, which to those unfamiliar with the area helps set the stage on why things are happening.

1991-92 S Ossetia fights war to break away from newly independent Georgia; Russia enforces truce

2004 Mikhail Saakashvili elected Georgian president, promising to recover lost territories

2006 S Ossetians vote for independence in unofficial referendum

April 2008 Russia steps up ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia

July 2008 Russia admits flying jets over S Ossetia; Russia and Georgia accuse each other of military build-up

7 August 2008 After escalating Georgian-Ossetian clashes, sides agree to ceasefire (which Georgia violates)

8 August 2008 Heavy fighting erupts overnight, Georgian forces close on town of Tskhinvali

Russia's new Pres.

Unlike US politics this year where the nominees in both parties are taking far longer to determine than usual, in Russia today, in a surprise to nobody. Medvedev (pronounced Med-ved-yev) won the Russian presidential election. He is the chosen successor to the wildly popular Putin. Most people in Russia know very little about him other than that Putin said to vote for him and they trust Putin so they did. As a Russian Studies major I feel obliged to at least mark the event with a post. What remains to be seen is if this is a temporary post for one term of office before a return of Putin to power (which wouldn't violate their constitution) or whether Medvedev will be his own man with his own policies. Medvedev is a lawyer with a background in the legal rather than spy fields unlike Putin with his KGB background. I can only hope that this will result in more of a strict interpretation of Russian laws and less consolidation of power within the Presidential office and clamping down on individual freedoms. I really respect what Putin has done for his country, guiding them from a time of economic troubles to a much more stable and prominent place in the international community. I hope that his goals will be furthered under Medvedev, but with a focus on more enabling of people and companies to determine their best courses of action with less state interference, censorship, etc. towards that better future. Another interesting point is that 2/3rds of eligible voters participated in what was essentially a rubber stamp election. If we had that kind of turn-out in the US it would be phenomenal. It shows that Russian's really care about the direction of their country, even if they don't care if they know that much about the person selected by Putin to take them there.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/03/02/russia.election/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Rough Day for Prime Ministers

Russia tests 'dad of all bombs' - similar to a nuke without harming the environment...great

Putin, in a surprise dissolves Russian government

Ok, so after seeing these headlines I had to did a bit deeper. U.S. news tends to like sensationalist headlines. This necessitated a forray with my Russian dictionary and a search of non-US/UK sources, but in the end did provide a slightly different spin on things.

Putin didn't just dissolve the Russian government. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov resigned ‘due to upcoming political events,’ he wasn't dismissed. While we cannot know if Putin asked him to resign in order to prevent him from being seen as Putin's choice to succeed him next spring, it's not like Putin just dissolved the government. In Russia, whenever the PM steps down the government is automatically dissolved. The real surprise to me was that Russian President Vladimir Putin nominated the head of the country's financial regulator, Viktor Zubkov, for the post of prime minister. This guy is a political nobody and is not really a clear choice for succession to the presidency. Well, that is unless Putin intends to put a puppet in place for a term and then return to office, effectively becoming a rotational president for life. If that is the intention then this appointment makes total sense. Putin is wildly popular among Russians, having brought stability and relative prosperity after his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin. As a result, many Russian's don't want him to leave office, despite what the constitution says. With former colleagues describing Zubkov with words like, "He did not generate ideas. He was someone who carried out instructions.", if Putin is looking for a yes man to succeed him for a few years, maintain the current status of things, etc. his announcement might not be so surprising after all.

And now the Japanese Prime Minister is gone too? Wow! Rough day for prime minsters world wide. We'll see if Gordon Brown lasts the night.
Japan's prime minister in shock resignation

Russia to Stop Counter-Terrorism Cooperation with Britain

I know, I know, I'm probably the only one who cares, but why isn't this story on CNN at all? Why am I getting all of my news on this issue from BBC? For those of you who don't regularly troll the web for all stories involving Russian relations you should know that in response to the UK's demand that Russia extradite Alexander Lugovoi, a former KGB intelligence officer accused of murdering Kremlin-critic Alexander Litvinenko last year in London the UK has expelled 4 Russian diplomats. Now Russia has responded by making an in kind demand that says four British diplomats must leave Russia within 10 days. Moscow will also stop issuing visas to British government officials. Now Russia is upping the ante by also suspending their bilateral cooperation in the struggle against terrorism. In what was a in kind response Russia has now upped their response, something sure to damage UK-Russian relations even further. Not less than a month after Putin and Bush were glad handing at the family retreat they have withdrawn from a major arms treaty and now this. *sigh* Does not bode well. Perhaps this is because Putin, like Bush, is a president on the way out of office. Both will be replaced within the next year. Maybe this is his way of making some political and diplomatic points that he feels are important. Oh, oh, I was wrong, CNN Does have the story. Buried in their world section. Instead I get to learn how the Sopranos has 15 Emmy nominations and how a dog ate nearly 1k in cash as top headline news on the main page. *sigh* I hate US news sometimes.

They Make a Movie out of Everything!

A documentary about former Russian secret agent Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned in London at the end of last year, will have its premiere screening at the Cannes Film Festival this weekend, the film director said Wednesday.

UK's Russian Spy Poisoning Case

Courtesy of CNN: Story Highlights

• Russian prosecutors say they will refuse to extradite Andrei Lugovoi
• Ex-KGB agent charged with murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko
• Litvinenko died in London after being poisoned with radioactive Polonium-210
• He blamed President Putin for his poisoning -- an allegation the Kremlin denied

"Russian prosecutors say they will refuse to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, charged by Britain in the poisoning death of Alexander Litvinenko, to London because of a constitutional ban.
Earlier Tuesday British officials said they wanted to bring Lugovoi before a British court and charge him with the 'extraordinarily grave crime' of murdering Litvinenko in London last November.

'I have today concluded that the evidence sent to us by the police is sufficient to charge Andrei Lugovoi with the murder of Mr. Litvinenko by deliberate poisoning,' Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald said in London.

Litvinenko, who was a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and had been granted political asylum in the UK, died in a London hospital last November, several weeks after he was poisoned with polonium-210."

Having read the Russian constitution for my government and politics in Russia class, I think this is all a show to protect Lugovoi. The Russian constitution grants the executive with large sweeping powers and if Putin approved of the extradiction nobody would be hiding behind the constitution. Also Russia and the UK are both signers of the European convention on mutual legal assistance which should allow the UK to prosecute a Russian citizen who commits a crime on their territory. Interesting, I wonder how this will pan out.

Russian Ambassador held hostage in Costa Rica

For any of you out there who like to keep up with all things related to Russia:
Захват заложников в посольстве России в Коста-Рике
Вооруженный человек захватил, по разным сообщениям, восемь или девять человек в здании российского посольства в Коста-Рике.

Ambassador, others held hostage in Costa Rica
An armed Uzbek man took eight hostages Friday at the Russian Embassy in Costa Rica, but released four hostages amid intense negotiations, the country's security minister said. He still holds the Russian ambassador and several others, including his mother hostage.

For those of you who couldn't care about minor news events that involve Russia or Costa Rica, keep in mind that Russia is seeking membership to the WTO this year. Russia signed a trade agreement with Costa Rica in January, one of series of bilateral deals it had to conclude on its path to membership in the World Trade Organization. Russia is now the only major economy outside the WTO. Currently they only have to reach agreement with their ex-Soviet neighbor Georgia and Moldova to meet requirements for membership in the 150-member group, which sets global trade rules. Any member can demand a bilateral deal with an applicant. Georgia withdrew its signature from an earlier deal after Russia imposed a ban on its wine and mineral water last spring. Relations between Moscow and Georgia worsened in the fall as Moscow slapped a sweeping transport and postal blockade on the country in retaliation for the brief arrest of four Russian officers in Tbilisi accused of spying. Unfortunately Russia can't afford to lose Costa Rica's support and still hope to join the WTO this year so they might have to be a little less heavy handed when dealing with the current matter.

UPDATE: Two men walked out of the Russian Embassy in Costa Rica on Friday under police escort, ending a three-hour standoff with police and the ambassador.

So, no dramatic Russian response will happen after-all.

Yeltsin Dead

Story Highlights:

• Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin dies aged 76, Kremlin confirms
• Russian news agencies report Yeltsin died of heart failure Monday afternoon
• National day of mourning, funeral to take place on Wednesday
• Former Soviet leader Gorbachev says Yeltsin suffered a "tragic fate"

As a Russian Studies major, I'll have more to say on this later. I have studied Yeltsin extensively so his death is actually a major piece of news to me. All I can say right now is that he will be remembered by many by the following photograph.

I am the weakest link: the culture of science in Russia

This roughly translates to: "There isn't one weak link in work!" Well in my case, sleep is my paperclip. I can put as much work in as I want, but if the time I spend working on school turns into me beating my head against the wall because I'm so tired, that isn't going to get my Latin lessons done or my thesis written.

Speaking of which, if any native Russian speakers want to comment on the culture of science in Russia, I would be most grateful. I am using primarily English language sources for speed sake, but my professor likes to see quotes in Russian not English.

My paper is seeking to outline the history of science in Russia and then show how this has over time created the culture in which scientists and engineers work today. Part of the reason I am interested in this is because of a congressional hearing I went to in 2005. I was sitting in on a session on how American organizations are trying to partner with Russians who are doing research. Their main complaint is that some of the most talented researchers are struggling to get funding for their projects because the whole peer reviewed grant system is strange to them. This makes sense when you look back at the history of the situation and you realize that for many many years, scientists have had government directives over what they should research. Putting together grant applications seems new and quite entrepreneurial to those who are used to a more authoritarian system. With the decline of the Academy and national funding, it is imperative that Russians adapt to the peer review system to be internationally competitive. Now if only I can express this, using appropriate quotations, in 30 pages of pure Russian, written at a level that is understandable to a native speaker. Wish me luck, I have 6 pages so far and it's due at the end of April.