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Published in: oDRWhat next for the Crimean Tatars?
Crimean Tatar leaders are vehemently against a return to Russian rule. But why, when so often they have been at odds...
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Published in: oDRSochi, the Caucasus and Russian Romanticism
Since the 19th century the Caucasus has been Russian’s ‘window on the East,’ its access to another, often very...
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Published in: oDROut of the Guantanamo frying pan into the Russian fire
While Russia steps up calls for the US to close the Guantánamo Bay prison camp, its own abuse and mistreatment of...
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Published in: oDREducating Orthodoxy
The Russian Orthodox Church has been expanding its educational activities to include not only seminaries but...
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Published in: openSecurityRacism: troubling truths
Fighting racism in Europe is not easy when Europe has two hands tied behind its back—debilitated by neo-liberal...
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Published in: oDRDagestan: Russia’s hottest spot
Asked to name Russia’s most troublesome region, most people would plump for Chechnya. But its neighbour Dagestan is...
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Published in: oDRRussia in the Middle East: a well-played hand disguises fading fortunes
There is no doubt that Russia’s diplomatic coups in the Middle East late last year caused its stock to rise. But is...
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Published in: oDRNobody wants Russia’s Turks
Russia’s Meskhetian Turks, exiled from their homeland seventy years ago, have to put up with ignorance, prejudice,...
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Published in: oDRBlood and treasure
Can an invasion of Afghanistan ever be considered to be a mission accomplished? The British in the 19th century, the...
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Published in: oDRLeaving Afghanistan leaves Tajikistan wary
What impact will the withdrawal of the Western-dominated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in...
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Published in: oDRAfghanistan, then and now
Modern urban versus traditional rural Afghanistan, then and now. Time may have moved on, but the problems are big...
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Published in: TransformationWhy we need radical love to create change
Living on an isolated island with my dog, it was a departure to find myself with 4,000 other LGBTQ people at the...
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Published in: oDRSochi Olympics – the dangers of rebranding
What does President Putin hope to gain from hosting the Winter Olympics? There is a grave danger that the messages...
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Published in: HomePope Francis: a theology for change
Pope Francis's fresh, informal style has been met with popular acclaim during his first year in office. But his...
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Published in: oDRNailing things down…
Pyotr Pavlensky is the performance artist who nailed his scrotum to the cobblestones of Red Square. Pained, the...
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Published in: oDRRussia’s spinning moral compass
Vladimir Putin’s latest political course as president – from the jailing of Pussy Riot to the law against gay...
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Published in: oDRPrayers for the dead
In Kyiv, Metropolitan Pavel – aka ‘Pasha the Merc’ – has succeeded in closing down Ukraine’s only specialist...
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Published in: oDRRing out new bells!
While lightning and neglect are taking their toll on Russia's wooden churches, a growing volunteer movement is...
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Published in: North Africa, West AsiaIslam and politics
There remains a deeper problem in making a religious text foundational and that can be summed up in one word: commitment.