Nicolai N Petro

Nicolai N. Petro is professor of politics at the University of Rhode Island (USA). He served as the U.S. State Department's special assistant for policy on the Soviet Union under George H.W. Bush.

Russia’s Smouldering 'White Revolution'

The Putin regime has little to fear from the latest public protests which, despite drawing large crowds, are apolitical. True politics will only become possible in Russia when both the opposition and the regime focus on the tedious work of practical politics, says Nicolai N. Petro in his highly pe

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 29 Dec 2011

Why the FSB is not the KGB!

Last month amendments were passed to the law codifying the FSB’s surveillance of those citizens deemed to be threats to national security. Nicolai Petro, unlike some Western commentators, sees these as potentially making Russia's domestic security procedures among the world's most transparent.

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 10 Aug 2010

Recasting Ukraine's identity?

The latest Russo-Ukrainian gas spat may have finally taught the elites in those two countries a vital lesson. Namely, that they stand to gain far more from acting in concert,

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 30 Jan 2009

The Medvedev moment

Those seeking to categorise Dmitry Medvedev, the presumptive next president of Russia, have quickly settled into two camps: pessimists, who dismiss him as a puppet of Vladimir Putin, and optimists,

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 28 Feb 2008

Russian democracy: a reply to Mischa Gabowitsch

Mischa Gabowitsch's openDemocracy article "Inside the looking-glass", a response to my own article "Russia through the looking-glass, is a welcome opportunity further to dispel frequently-aired

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 24 Feb 2006

Russia through the looking-glass

A troubling rift has developed between western and Russian perceptions of Russian reality. In the west, an increasingly common view is that President Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying democracy

By Nicolai N Petro

/ 13 Feb 2006