For a month now the Russian government has been engaged in a full-scale — and accelerating — crackdown against political dissent and the freedom of the press. TV stations have been raided, protesters sentenced to years of hard labor, and activists homes have been searched for crimes that were committed when they were little kids. […]
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were supposed to highlight how Russia has become a 21st-century leader in the international community. In reality, they spotlighted how Putin’s rule had encouraged corruption and human rights violations to become the new-old norm. The Games also drew criticism for Russia’s new “anti-gay propaganda” law, widely seen as license for […]
It’s been nearly two weeks since a Turkish jet shot down a Russian medium bomber in Syria, and the rhetoric from the two countries continues to escalate. Will the fight between Turkey and Russia destabilize the Middle East? What is Turkey’s “red line” in Syria? What is the potential fallout from this conflict? Will Turkey […]
With all the focus on Syria, and particularly on growing tensions between Russia and Turkey, it’s important to understand the complicated regional dynamics in the Middle East. How is Russia’s relationship with Israel and Iran playing out? What is Iran’s end game? How does the Syrian conflict really fit into a wider regional or sectarian […]
Turkey has shot down a Russian jet in Syria, ISIS has conducted a massive attack in Europe, the world is debating how to solve the crisis in the Middle East, and Russia has once again made its way back into the headlines. This week Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and The Interpreter‘s managing editor James […]
Long before Edward Snowden worked for the NSA — before PRISM and Wikileaks — there was SORM, the Russian system of intercepting and monitoring communications. In the hands of a dictator, SORM has become a powerful weapon for the Kremlin to target his opponents both at home and abroad. Bloomberg has even questions whether Russia’s […]
War returns to Ukraine, as fighting has broken out across the front. World powers and intelligence sources continue to debate whether the Metrojet crash in Egypt was an act of terrorism. These are big, ugly headlines, but another headline may give insight into the source of so many of Russia’s problems — President Vladimir Putin’s […]
This week, Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller and Boston College professor Matt Sienkiewicz are joined by The Interpreter’s Pierre Vaux to discuss internet trolls and Russian propaganda. In particular, we discuss Kremlin-run “troll farms” which attempt to influence, and ultimately distort, the narrative surrounding world events. Click here to hear our previous podcasts. You now […]
After the failures of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the struggles of American policy following the Arab Spring uprisings, what is the role the United States should play in the world? Are we really in ‘Cold War 2.0’? Can we work with Russia on Afghanistan? On Syria? And what role do non-politician politicians, so called “outsiders,” […]
Is the Russian intervention in Syria going to make things better or worse? What are the possible solutions for the Syrian crisis, and can the US work with Russia to end a war that has significant consequences for the Middle East and the world at large? This week, Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller and Boston […]
