Posted by Sean on March 7, 2008
The BBC World Service has done a number of radio documentaries on Russia and Putin. The Kremlin and the World is a four part series on Russia’s relationship with its “near abroad,” energy politics, Europe, and the United States. The second series, After the KGB, chronicles the fall and rise of the Russian secret service since the collapse of communism. In addition to all this, BBC has set up a special website called the Putin Project. Therein are several reports and interviews on the social, cultural, political, and economic state of Russia. You can also find more Russia goodies on BBC News‘ Resurgent Russia page.
Now that your ears are sufficiently stimulated, you can get your eyes titillated with PBS Frontline‘s special report Putin’s Plan.
Posted by Sean on March 7, 2008
My new eXile article, “Russian Academia Under Fire,” is now online. Here is an excerpt:
On any given day, the Russian media is filled with reports of restaurants, clubs, factories, hospitals, schools, and apartments succumbing to the searing flames of Vulcan. Casualties are common. Fire is often the result of teenage pyromaniacs, defective wiring, discarded lit cigarettes, industrial accidents, and just plain stupidity. Fire is a major killer in Russia. More than 17,000 Russians died in fires in 2006, about 13 for every 100,000 people. This is a staggering statistic. Not to mention one I take to heart. Several friends and I almost became part of those stats in the summer of 2005 when the kitchen in Moscow’s Kafe Bilingua went up in flames.
Russia’s fire epidemic is not just a threat to public safety, a taker of lives, or a destroyer of property. The threat of fire also gives the ..read more
