It will be interesting to see exactly which customs the Vatican is going to allow from the past rich five centuries of Anglican worship, life and thought.
Quote of the day
 ColumnsPaul Rogers Li Datong Fred Halliday Mary Kaldor Daniele Archibugi The World
Email & RSSSign up to oD's editorial summaries email:
Who's linking?NavigationOur Authors around the Web
|
 |
Politics
After the recent Russian local elections were won by the Kremlin-backed ruling party, United Russia, opposition parties cried foul. A review of blogs and online comments from the Russian southern city of Astrakhan shows quite how bad things got.
Gazprom's controversial decision to build a skyscraper in St Petersburg had the support of Putin and governor Valentina Matvienko. But a recent broadside on TV suggests that broader forces of political opposition may be gathering behind this ostensibly cultural decision, comments Dmitry Travin
Europe's last dictator recently visited an EU country for the first time in a decade. Europe requires more democracy and economic liberalisation, but only Russia can offer his regime any hope of survival
Three former Western ambassadors to countries in the post-Soviet space applaud President Medvedev’s call for sweeping reform and suggest key paths to modernisation
A Kremlin media surprise suggests an intriguing parallel - with a twist
The middle classes the world over have spent 20 years swapping their freedoms for security and prosperity. While Putin delivered this neo-Hobbesian bargain in Russia, its ur-model is Singapore
Andrew Wilson reports zero tolerance for more shock therapy
Putin has created a corrupt system which once seemed to work, but since the economic crisis he has lost control of it
The dynamics of misrule in Russia's Caucasus are consuming Chechnya's neighbour
A key motive of Russian policymakers in last year's Georgia war was to kill liberal expectations of the new President Medvedev
A baby boom suggests one of Russia's largest cities will not be cowed by economic crisis or fear of the future
Sergei Khazov reports from the Russian city of Samara at a time of economic collapse
Two young reformist politicians on either side of the separatist conflict in Moldova have made bold moves to assert their independence from ossified leadership, Will the new generation manage to free their country from the spell of the past, wonders Louis O'Neill
Summer pleasures on the Volga put the machinations of Russia's elites into perspective
Beyond the caricature of the land where bears roam the streets and people travel by reindeer, LNG exports to Japan and economic crisis connect the charmed island to the world
The Kremlin's choice to hold the latest EU-Russia summit in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk, right by China, may have been political - China wants Russia's gas too. But for the residents of Khabarovsk, the summit just meant traffic jams, and China's proximity just means industrial pollution
As human rights violations escalate in the North Caucasus, Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch visits Dagestan, supposedly riven by the struggle between ‘Wahhabis' and the authorities. She visits the so-called ‘Wahhabi' village of Gudben.
Surreal twists and turns as Russia's most famous oligarch reappears in court
Civil society is playing an impressive role in Georgia's present crisis, argues Tbilisi's last ambassador to Russia. Saakashvili's government has reached an impasse. There is a way forward, but Georgia will need the help of its friends abroad
Reviewing the roots of the roots of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, Alexander Goryanin concludes that Armenia's victory has cost it too much. A more lasting solution will take time
Pavel Bardin's film Russia 88, about Russian Nazis, has incurred official displeasure even before its release. Bardin says he wants to help government fight Russian fascism. Critics say the film's good. So what's the problem?The blogosphere is buzzing with answers
(Photo: Rossiya 88 film)
The protest that greeted Moldova's recent election represented domestic frustrations, not an abortive colour revolution. Addressing Moldova's deep-seated problems of poverty, criminality and national identity will require constructive input from Western powers
Europe should not be deceived by recent concessions to the media, comments Irada Huseinova. Lukashenko's Belarus will remain a bastion of totalitarianism
Alexander Dugin's Eurasian movement has moved to centre stage politically, having dropped its tactless fascist rhetoric. Andreas Umland charts its inroads
With Moldova's horde of guest workers heading home, the effects of global recession will hit Europe's poorest country hard. This crisis could be used to unlock its frozen conflict with Transnistria, comments Louis O'Neill
Dmitr Travin takes a long hard look at President Medvedev's first year in office and his "idyllic" close relationship with his Prime Minister
Nikolai Petrov points out that despite increasingly desperate
attempts by the Kremlin to assert top-down control, grassroots
modernization still might win out
|
|
|
Recent comments
1 hour 54 min ago
5 hours 33 min ago
8 hours 55 min ago
9 hours 29 min ago
10 hours 57 min ago
11 hours 6 min ago
12 hours 50 min ago
13 hours 48 min ago
17 hours 48 min ago
18 hours 25 min ago