4th annual conference of the Middle East Dialogue of the Valdai International Discussion Club, titled “Islam in Politics: Ideology or Pragmatism?”, will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco, on May 14-15.
Issues of commonalities and differences in the Muslim communities of Russia and Canada, as well as problems of their integration into the legal frameworks of their respective countries, were the main topics of discussion at the conference Muslims in Russia, the CIS, and Canada: Cohabitation and Cooperation
The conference Muslims in Russia, the CIS, and Canada: Cohabitation and Cooperation presented by Carleton’ Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Political Science, the Carleton Centre for the Study of Islam, and the Valdai Discussion Club is to be held on March 8, 2013 at the Carleton University, Ottawa.
The analytical report “Russia’s Economy: after Transformation, before Modernization” was prepared after discussions at the Valdai Discussion Club Summit held on October 21–22, 2012. The report incorporates many of the conclusions on Russia’s political development contained in the 2011 Valdai report “Russia Should Not Miss Its Chance: Development Scenarios”.
The Russia Development Index (Valdai Index) reflects the combined opinion of the world's leading experts on Russia as regards Russia’s political, economic, social, cultural and international performance. The annual poll aims to study changes in Russia’s development trends over a year. It is important that respondents assess not the current situation, but changes.
The analytical report “Military Reform: Toward the New Look of the Russian Army” summarizes the results of the conference of the Valdai Discussion Club Defense and Security section titled “Modernization of Russia’s Armed Forces and Cooperation in International Security” which was held on May 25-27, 2011 in Moscow.
02/27/201311:20 Massoud Barzani's visit signifies that Moscow is playing a high-stakes game. Kurdish nationalism is rising to a crescendo, drawing inspiration from the Arab Spring.
11/30/201212:34 The Turkish-Russian relations experienced a very dramatic, positive change in the last ten years, going up to a very high level of trade, tourism and even political relations. The main problem at the moment is Turkey-Syria relations and the recent bringing down of the Syrian plane and that Russia was accused of sending weapons to Syria. Turkish decision to deploy Patriot missile systems was something Russia was not happy with.
10/25/201210:25 Turkey now has problems with nearly all of its neighbors. It also has problems with Russia, as Putin’s cancelled visit has shown, although the improvement of relations with Russia was seen as a major achievement of Turkey’s foreign policy. These relationship problems are being fostered by such absurd and unseemly incidents as the forced landing of the Syrian plane.
06/22/201209:00 If Russia leaves the Gabala radar station, the Voronezh-type radar at Armavir will not be able to take over all of its functions. On the other hand, Russia’s refusal to extend the lease would seriously impact its position in the South Caucasus. Given that relations with Georgia have been put on ice and ties with Azerbaijan are cooling, it would be more difficult for Russia to protect its political and economic interests in that region.
04/18/201211:13 It seems that the question of a possible war on Iran is taking center stage on Russia’s agenda as well. There is evidence of heightened diplomatic activity, along with military preparations and an expanded public debate reflecting differences of opinion within the Russian establishment.
03/02/201210:28 Is there a big margin between Russian political elites and the public? Why do people criticize the recent Duma elections in a way that has not been seen since the beginning of Putin’s administration? Is there a threat to Russian democracy which could lead to chaos and a breakdown of normal political life? How popular is Mr. Putin notwithstanding these protests and how long can he enjoy such popularity in the years ahead?
03/02/201210:25 How do the Russian people feel about liberal democracy and transparency mechanisms in their country? Through waves of modernization Russian society is becoming more transparent. The well-educated younger generation is becoming more actively involved in the important issues of the country, and the number of multinational companies doing business in Russia and the number of Russian companies doing business in various regions of the world are increasing rapidly.
03/01/201214:55 According to Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, though the Arab Spring began a year ago, which is a rather short period in historical terms for these types of transformation, preliminary and interim results can be outlined even now.
02/22/201212:49
02/22/201210:18 According to Peter Harling, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon Project Director, International Crisis Group, Syria, previously an important central player n the region, became an arena where other actors, especially Turkey and Iran, can play.
