BOOKMARKS www.duma.gov.ru State Duma of the Russian Federation
RUSSIA NOW 03
www.wciom.com Russian Public Opinion Research Center
www.lomonosov-russia.com Lomonosov Porcelain
SECTION SPONSORED BY ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA, RUSSIA
WWW.RBTH.RU
Politics & Society
Presidency Following an ambitious State of the Nation speech,
Medvedev Takes a Stand on Foreign Policy
Medvedev’s Slow Burn
Graham Stack chronicles the Medvedev’s chief foreign pol- positive: “We are obliged to help of Afghanistan’s soaring hero-
slow but steady assertion of icy initiative is an ambitious plan in Afghanistan. What the armies in exports, and Ivanov points
President Dmitry Medvedev. for a new European security ar- of the United States and Europe to the success of U.S. aerial crop
As Prime Minister Putin chitecture. are doing [in Afghanistan] is eradication in Colombia. De-
gains in popularity and puts According to Medvedev, the peacekeeping.” Medvedev said, spite these voices, however,
out the domestic fires, plan will “finally get rid of the speaking in Rome. “We are Medvedev’s offer remains un-
Medvedev’s relatively free legacy of the Cold War.” Its key ready to support the efforts of conditional.
hand in foreign policy, and tenet is the “principle of non- our partners, even with the pos- Medvedev has general-
maturation in the role, is divisibility of security”: Medve- sibility of transit that Russia per- ly adapted long-standing Rus-
bringing about slow-burning dev argues that security is a col- mits,” Medvedev promised. sian positions to move closer
change. lective good that can be to the United States. Regard-
diminished by individual coun- ing Iran’s nuclear power ambi-
GRAHAM STACK
tries seeking to maximize their Medvedev...signed tions, Medvedev has acknowl-
SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW security. The treaty broadly pro-
up to Obama’s
edged the possibility of
hibits signatories from taking
Russian transitions of power any unilateral measures to in-
long-term initiative
sanctions, and has used com-
from president to president are crease their security, submitting
to eliminate nuclear
pletion of the Bushehr nuclear
plant as a bargaining chip. Med-
gradual affairs, but they do hap- them instead to regulation by weapons despite vedev even signed up to
pen. It was only after two years international conferences, with
the vast discrepan-
Obama’s long-term initiative to
in office that former Russian majority decisions legally bind-
President Vladimir Putin ap- ing.
cy in U.S. and Rus-
eliminate nuclear weapons de-
pointed his own defense min- Moscow Carnegie Center’s
sian conventional
spite the vast discrepancy in
U.S. and Russian conventional
ister and foreign minister, and Dmitry Trenin said the initiative arms capacities arms capacities and resistance
only after four years, at the end is a response to “the two salient from Russia’s top brass.
of his first term, that Putin ap- security issues in the Euro-At-
pointed his own prime minister lantic area: Moscow’s suspicions The coming surge in Afghan- Put in His Place
and chief of staff. of U.S. intentions and motives istan will make logistics even Medvedev has also become
The transition from Vladimir vis-a-vis Russia...and Russia’s more critical. With supply routes more assertive in economic pol-
Putin’s to Dmitry Medvedev’s neighbors’ equally dark suspi- through Pakistan imperiled by icy in recent months and has
presidency has followed this pat- cions regarding Russia. Both sets Taliban activity, Medvedev’s twice now overruled his former
tern. The financial crisis inevita- of suspicions are real, if largely offer to transit U.S. weaponry mentor Putin on economic pol-
bly thrust Vladimir Putin, Rus- baseless, but each deserves hard gains in significance. icy, preferring more liberal ap-
sia’s Prime Minister formally in thinking and a realistic strategy Medvedev’s readiness to pro- proaches.
charge of the economy, back before they can be put to vide logistical support for the When Putin announced that ALEXANDR MIRIDONOV_KOMMERSNT
into the limelight. And with the rest.” Afghanistan surge goes against Russia could forsake its protract- Are Medvedev’s actions starting to match up with his words?
media baying for a sign of a powerful voices in Russia’s se- ed bid to join the World Trade
destabilizing rift between pres- The Obama Factor curity establishment, such as Organization (WTO), instead
ident and prime minister, Med- Medvedev considers Obama, that of Viktor Ivanov, the head first forming a customs union dev ordered a halt to the cre- Sociologist and human rights to Sobchak when a member of
vedev has avoided high-profile with his liberal instincts and of the anti-narcotics authority with Belarus and Kazakhstan, ation of state corporations with activist Aleksandr Sungurov, Sobchak’s team,” Sungurov
domestic policy initiatives. background in legal scholarship, and a close confidante to Vladi- Medvedev was quick to over- low accountability and wide who worked with Putin in St. said.
Likewise, with Putin’s hands his ally.Thus Medvedev’s pub- mir Putin. Ivanov has called for rule him. According to Medve- powers. Critics saw this Putin- Petersburg in the early 1990s, That means that Putin is no-
full at home, Medvedev has had lishing of the security treaty draft Russian transit to be condition- dev, Russia will retain the goal era trend as a new opportuni- said loyalty is a key psycholog- toriously tough on disloyalty. In-
a free hand to shape Russia’s for- coincided neatly with Obama’s al on U.S. forces eradicating Af- of joining the WTO at the ear- ty for corruption and contradict- ical trait for Putin. “Putin is loyal stead of feeling bound by loy-
eign policy, and to take up Pres- decision to commit an addition- ghanistan’s massive opium liest possible date, either alone ing civil law. to whatever team he is a mem- alty to Medvedev, Putin may see
ident Barack Obama’s offer of a al 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghan- crop. Russia is reeling from the or in the customs union. Will Putin protest against ber of. He was loyal to the KGB a more assertive Medvedev as
reset in Russian-U.S. relations. istan. Medvedev’s response was disastrous public health impact And in November, Medve- Medvedev’s new assertiveness? when a member; he was loyal disloyal to him.
-
Gifts Russian Presents Are More Than Matryoshkas and Vodka
sweet dark confections, wrapped Sturgeon, star-topped Krem- variations on the theme can be
in images from the State Tre- lin towers, imperial crowns, dou- seen on urbanites in Moscow.
The Gift of Irony
tyakov Gallery collection. This ble-headed Romanov eagles Valenki can be embroidered,
year’s offerings hark back to the and busts of Peter the Great are painted or trimmed with fur.
factory’s 19th-century origins, among the novelty bottles for The Gorizont Company cre-
even though the Moscow fac- sale in the Kristall vodka factory ates the boots as well as felt
tory itself has recently moved shop in the eastern suburbs of hats, including some great, play-
individually or as a set. Collec- to new out-of-town premises. Moscow. For many drinkers, ful sauna hats for the Russian
tions are designed around con- Konfael, by contrast, is a 21st- vodka is vodka, so the kitschier banya, though friends at the
KONFAEL
ceptual or aesthetic themes like century company, established the bottle the better. Kristall dis- American spa may look aghast.
space, travel or Constructiv- in 2001. VIP gifts are a special- tillery is the largest vodka pro- Pavlovsky Posad shawls are an-
ism. ty, from 50-plus pound edible ducer in Russia. Its time-hon- other age-old product that is
Kirill Kalinin has sold a large hippos to chocolate family por- ored brands include Staraya making a comeback. Russian
number of Soviet posters at this traits. Now there’s a unique gift; Moskva (“Old Moscow”) and fashion designer Slava Zaitsev
year’s Christmas fairs, and has mom and dad for the eating, Stolichnaya (“Capital”). used the bright floral prints in
collected thousands of original chased with vodka from a pet- Felt boots called “Valenki” his creations as early as the
Soviet posters over the past rol pump. have been around for hundreds 1960s. The carrier bag from the
twelve years. Traditional, wall-size family of years. After a long hia- factory shop features stylish girls
“For years these posters were and individual portraits are also tus, the cozy boots are in fash- wearing the shawls around their
not seen as valuable and were having a resurgence, from ion again. Traditionally worn by waists. But it’s still hard to put
recycled or used as wrapping the fantasies painted for the oli- farmers and factory workers, one on without feeling like a
paper,” Kalinin said. He calls his garchs (by the likes of Nikolas their warmth is legendary, and babushka.
-
posters an “underappreciated Safronov) to the fireside smiles
part of the art scene.” Sothe- depicted by struggling art stu-
by’s Auction House recently sold dents, of which there are
a poster for $56,000, a nice ges- many.
ture for a minigarch mistress. Lomonosov Porcelain, found-
Not all the popular gifts are ed in St. Petersburg in 1755,
emblems of Soviet Russia; sym- has also wised up to the profit-
bols of New Russian capitalism potential of both tradition and
are popular too. The Buro Na- customization. The Imperial Por-
khodok chain has shiny slippers celain Factory still produces
with Audi or Porsche logos. The trademark designs like cobalt
Konfael offers a chocolate chess set ($125), box ($75), and handcrafted orchids and Faberge eggs. Konfael Company makes oli- net. They have also introduced
garch-friendly chocolate yachts a colorful “Russian-style” series
and BMWs, as well as Snow with fairy tale motifs. One can
What to buy for that special Fresh holiday inventory re- Nostalgia is apparent in spe- Queens, Nutcrackers and choc- also order monogrammed por-
someone? If they know flects the new trend: More and cialist boutiques like Buro Nak- olate postcards of St. Basil’s Ca- celain to fit your personality and
anyone who has been more, contemporary crafts fea- hodok (“Lost and Found”) and thedral. And when they say status in society. For the more
to Russia, chances are they ture the icons of Soviet life in Ministerstvo Padarkov (“Minis- chocolate money, they don’t frugal customer, chunky Gzhel
already have all the nesting an ironic setting. try of Presents”). Toys and mean foil-wrapped coins, but figurines, from the clay-rich vil-
dolls they need. Phoebe Nowadays, even the ubiquitous household items from bygone hundred-dollar bills you can eat. lages of the Gzhelka valley near
Taplin helps update matryoshka nesting dolls offer eras reappear as jewelry, lamps Konfael is a relative newcomer Moscow, start at under a dol-
Americans on Russian gift- brief history lessons with or notebooks. Shot glasses are on the Russian chocolate lar. This year the stalls are flood-
giving. one leader inside another. So- filled from miniature Soviet pet- scene. ed with what look like blue-and-
viet-era posters, caviar tin clocks rol pumps. Perhaps the most Old favorites like Red Octo- white striped pottery cats, to EKATERINA MORGUNOVA_FOTOIMEDIA
PHOEBE TAPLIN
and old canteen signs add to popular retro gift is the Soviet- ber brand chocolates are still celebrate 2010’s status as the Valenki, or winter boots, remain a traditional gift for Russia enthu-
RUSSIA NOW the usual fare. era propaganda poster, bought going strong, with their ultra “Year of the Tiger.” siasts and travelers.
Bibliophile
Ludmilla Petrushevskaya’s short sto- her. Through Petrushevskaya’s pen, it all the sweep of Russia’s 20th-century tragedies Yet many of the stories are, if not whimsical,
ries are strangely enduring gifts. Packaged seems plausible. The writer’s humanism and in these nightmares, where children are eas- mischievous. In her prose, Petrushevskaya, a
Dead Souls’
as parables, they are grim, brutal and lonely, understanding of grief is as real as a face ily orphaned, frequently disappear and wake successful playwright and eccentric cabaret
but often, in a last gasp of life, redemptive. wet from weeping. up in a parallel universe. artist, is also a performer in her prose, one who
Awakening
Her macabre, primitively Russian nightmares “There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried to Kill Her stories have a striking way of describ- likes to take her readers to the precipice of fear
devolve hopelessly until a clue or key to exis- Her Neighbor’s Baby, Scary Fairy Tales,” is ing domestic life as an insidious, humiliating or despair. She pulls intricate strings to bring
tence is discovered, often on just on the edge the daring title of this new collection of stories descent into a kind of noisy oblivion. “How her characters back from the brink. Occasion-
TITLE of being snuffed out. There are many tales published in English and lovingly translated lonely he felt on those nights when he had to ally, the return is hollow — as if she would end
THERE ONCE LIVED
in this collection that stay in the heart or the by Keith Gessen and Anna Summers. It re- descend...into the warm, poor nest where his it differently, hopelessly, but she can’t shake
A WOMAN WHO
TRIED TO KILL HER
gut long after one usually forgets things as veals the core Petrushevskaya controversy, graceless cramped home life slowly bubbled, this ability; she has to turn her stories on a
NEIGHBOR’S BABY:
ephemeral as a short story. what Gessen refers to as her “unremitting where his children got sick, went crazy, ran dime. Once or twice, the story ends nice and
SCARY FAIRY TALES In “The Fountain House,” which was pub- bleakness.” She may be one of Russia’s most around like maniacs, not allowing him to con- cold with a grim smile of revenge, jealousy and
AUTHOR
lished in The New Yorker, a father steals into acclaimed living writers and a literary de- centrate, so he had to quiet them down, and despair. More often, she plays the moralist, of-
LUDMILLA
PETRUSHEVSKAYA
a hospital morgue dressed as a medic, puts scendant of Gogol, yet many Russians es- sometimes this meant strapping them with his fering her characters grueling tests of their hu-
PUBLISHER
his dead daughter on a gurney, and in his chew the horror of her ways. (Who needs belt, after which he felt even more insulted and manity, pumping hope into their ravaged hearts.
PENGUIN consuming grief, bribes the doctor to revive more darkness?) There is something about humiliated.” NORA FITZGERALD
FROM PERSONAL ARCHIVES
editor.usa@rg.ru
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6