“[N]owhere in this region is the contrast between the contemporary and the ancient higher than in Kazakhstan. And nowhere is the interplay between the two more starkly embodied than in professional Kazakh kokpar.”
russia
Posted inBlog Post
Will Jeff Sessions’ Testimony Delight Us Like James Comey’s Did?
Last time Sessions spoke in a public hearing, he lied. This time, the stakes are higher.
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Quotes
For Ordinary Syrians, Is Backing Assad the Only Option?
Sometimes the best choice is the devil you know.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Loneliness of Donald Trump
“But the opposite of people who drag you down isn’t people who build you up and butter you up. It’s equals who are generous but keep you accountable, true mirrors who reflect back who you are and what you are doing.”
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Nyet to Harm Reduction: Russia’s HIV Epidemic
In Yekaterinburg, the fourth largest city in Russia, one in 50 are HIV positive, half of which are due to intravenous drug use.
Posted inCurrent Events
Are Regular Russians Ready to Take On Vladimir Putin?
The Russian election is one year away, but taking on a ruthless autocrat may not be welcomed by a generation looking for stability and security.
Posted inCrime, Current Events, Nonfiction, Quotes
Why Are the Details of One Russian Diplomat’s Death So Hazy?
At BuzzFeed, Ali Watkins investigates the way the Russian consulate called Sergei Krivov’s death a heart attack when he seems to have died of blunt force trauma on the floor of New York City’s Russian Consulate building.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Georgia: Asian, European, or Just Georgian?
Joshua Kucera travels to the nation of Georgia, along the border of Russia and Europe, to examine the longstanding debate about whether it belongs to Asia, Europe, or the Middle East, and why it matters.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Life in a Post-Soviet Melting Pot
Journalist and illustrator Lomasko was first noticed in the West for her graphic reportage from the Pussy Riot trial. In Tbilisi, Georgia, she spoke with historians, artists, journalists, activists, squatters, and local clergy about the political and cultural climate in this former Soviet republic.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Under Autocracy, The Eroding of Trust
At New York Magazine, Russian-born Michael Idov reflects on the few years he returned to Moscow to edit the Russian edition of GQ, beginning in 2011. He was surprised by the culture of cynicism he encountered — a response to constant deceit and crushing autocracy under Vladimir Putin. And he wonders whether a similar lack of trust and sense of defeat are in store for the U.S. under Trump.