Professor of Philosophy, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, D.Sc. in History.
The church’s main problem is similar to that which is facing Russia. The state needs to restore true public self-government and political democracy. The Church needs to create strong church communities and restore the democratic foundations of Christian life.
It would be wrong to say that Russia’s arts and culture still play a fundamental role in shaping the country’s image abroad. They seem to have taken a backseat to politics – often viewed negatively both in Russia and abroad – and to the waves of new Russian immigrants, who have been heading West in large numbers since the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991and who, to put it mildly, are not always on their best behavior.
It is obvious that similar phenomena may materialize in Central Asian countries. The more developed a country is, the more probable this scenario and the sooner it may happen. For example, it is much more realistic in Kazakhstan than in Turkmenistan. Kyrgyzstan in fact went through a similar revolution a year ago, although it has not been recognized by academics as one of the first “new type” revolutions.
VE Day’s role in creating an identity for post-Soviet RussiaWhy does VE Day matter so much in post-Soviet Russia? One obvious reason is that the triumph over Nazi Germany in WWII is the only victory relevant to the entire nation that can act as a unifying force.
What kind of Russia’s ethnic policy should be regarded as competent and able to avert disintegration? Perhaps, the best unifying idea that all the people’s of Russia could rally around would be that of a multiethnic and multidenominational state, guaranteeing equal rights, including ethnic and religious rights, for all its citizens while also providing universal rights to security and welfare.
