2021 Election Summary In September 2021, Russia held a three-day parliamentary election. The head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ella Pamfilova, announced …
Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, and The Russian State
A headstrong statesman and former KDB operative, Vladimir Putin continues to show unwavering strength in the face of recent political protest in the Russian Federation. Within the first month of 2021, …
Continue Reading about Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, and The Russian State →
Belarus: An Eye to Russia
Since the first and only legitimate election in 1994, dictator Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron grip. Historically apathetic to politics, Belarusians responded to the fraudulent …
Alexei Navalny: The Kremlin Treatment
Alexei Navalny is a name not dared to be spoken by sitting president, Vladimir Putin. The opposing force to Putin’s United Party proved to be a force despite many, some partially successful, attempts …
Continue Reading about Alexei Navalny: The Kremlin Treatment →
“Sovereign Internet” Risks Internet Freedom in Russia and Globally
Can Vladimir Putin revolutionize the way autocrats censor the internet? It is no secret that the press and journalists have experienced ever-increasing challenges in Russia since President …
Continue Reading about “Sovereign Internet” Risks Internet Freedom in Russia and Globally →
Threats from the Arctic
USCGC Polar Sea at Iceberg B-15A on Jan. 29, 2001 (wikimedia; NSF/Josh Landis )USCGC Polar Star backs and rams through dense ice off the Antarctic coast, Jan. 15, 2017. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by …
Moldova’s Voters Didn’t Choose West Over East. They Chose Reform Over Corruption
Moldova's presidential election has been declared for Maia Sandu, who unseated incumbent Igor Dodon in a historic victory. Against a backdrop of longstanding geopolitical tension, the election has …
Rewriting the Russian Constitution: A Lesson in Stealth or Overt Authoritarianism?
In late June of 2020 the Russian government held a nation-wide plebiscite on a series of constitutional amendments proposed earlier this year by President Vladimir Putin. Among a myriad of changes …