Today, National Public Radio has a piece on President Medvedev's plans to curb Russian consumption of vodka. If NPR's source is to be believed, czar Peter the Great fostered a culture where people were actually encouraged to drink more to raise their alcohol tolerance. Accurate or not, the World Health Organization reports that the average Russian consumes eighteen liters of pure alcohol annually--twice the volume they consider dangerous. The story was covered in a January post by Bruce Chapman.

Posted by Eric Garcia at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Back in 1974 Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson and Representative Charles Vanik introduced an amendment to a trade law with the purpose of punishing the Soviet Union and other communist countries for the denial of emigration rights to their citizens. At the time it was a justified decision, but in case someone forgot the evil empire has been gone since 1991. Unfortunately, for one of its former parts which never had any emigration restrictions, the Russian Federation, the Jackson-Vanik amendment remains in force. Strictly speaking, the amendment has been a dead letter since 1994 due to a ritual of annual Presidential waivers based on humiliating compliance reviews. Yet it continues to be a constant irritant in U.S.-Russia relations, and therefore should be repealed for good without further delay. It is easier said than done as both the Clinton and Bush administrations tried to get rid of this amendment but failed miserably since the U.S. Congress has the authority to act and refuses to go along.

It is pretty ironic, if not pathetic, that one of the most important stumbling blocks on the way to the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik amendment are innocent American chickens or "Bush legs," as they call them in Russia. I am not talking, of course, about these pretty little birds but about one of the most powerful U.S. lobbies called the "Chicken Lobby" or "Big Chicken." This lobby helps producers sell as much poultry as possible, but as in any trade there are some periodical disputes between the exporters and importers. In normal circumstances, such disputes should be handled through standard commercial negotiation processes. However, "Big Chicken" uses its enormous influence and puts pressure on Congress and the administration to highly politicize this trade and block Russia's graduation from Jackson-Vanik unless it buys huge poultry volumes.

Continue reading "Trade in "Bush Legs" for Jackson-Vanik" »

Posted by Edward Lozansky at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Russian ice hockey player Alexei Morozov was flag bearer for his country at the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Olympics

As the home team, Canada's Olympians have an extra perk to do well in Vancouver. Canada is particularly interested in its highly regarded men's and women's ice hockey teams. In overall terms of viewing as a fan and active participation, ice hockey is considered the most popular sport in that country.

When compared to their Canadian rival, the talented Russian men's ice hockey team is arguably more under the gun to win the Olympic ice hockey tournament. Canada is projected to win more medals than Russia. With this in mind, Canada will likely have a greater number of other Olympic achievements to cherish than Russia.

Continue reading "Stakes are High for the Russian Men's Olympic Ice Hockey Team" »

Posted by Michael Averko at 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Click on the images to view the enlarged versions

There has been much strident rhetoric in recent years regarding a Bering Strait Crossing and Intercontinental Railway System. I first proposed such a system in 1995 for several reasons. At the time, I was unaware that this idea had first been explored over a century before. Since 1995, I have refined my proposal into a project that is more realistic and within the realm of possibility.

Crossing the Bering Strait and building an Intercontinental Railway System is by no means a simple or easy task. Nothing good in life is! The pros and cons of any large project are usually "six of one and a half a dozen of the other", as the saying goes. There is the indisputable fact that climate in the Arctic and Bering Strait area is inhospitable most of the time and construction of a project of this magnitude would be difficult. Furthermore, the fact that Russia and Alaska are moving toward each other at about 16.5 mm per year, and that we are dealing with a seismically active region, presents a unique set of problems. In addition there are the complicated geopolitical problems and the very serious environmental concerns. And then the final question we must address: What useful purpose does such a project serve?

Continue reading "Bering Strait Crossing -- Why We Should Do It" »

Posted by William Simpson at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Russia's dynamic duo performing this past January 1, on Russian TV station Channel One

Options and Opposing Views

Russia's expatriate population is the subject of Alexei Bayer's recent article in The Moscow Times. He ends the article with a general note on how Russia can gain with a return of some of its expatriates. To an extent, this has happened. Some Russians have decided to return to Russia, without the Russian government actively egging them on. In addition, the Russian government has undergone a program to encourage people of Russian origin to live in Russia.

It is also advantageous for Russia to have an expatriate community. Abroad, these Russians are in a position to provide a better understanding of their native land to others at a grass roots level. In addition, the utilization of Western savvy, patriotically inclined Russians within the more high profile of Western based media and public relations organizations benefits Russia. The ideal individuals for this undertaking are those offering constructive criticisms of Russia, while being aware of the biases against that country and the valid/underrepresented counterpoints to them. Not to be overlooked are people of a more distant Russian origin and non-Russians, exhibiting the same understanding. How to successfully level the playing field is something that continues to be problematical.

Continue reading "Improving Russia's Image and Russo-Ukrainian Relations" »

Posted by Michael Averko at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)