For Wednesday, we will begin our discussion of Russia. Our book "Russia and the Near Abroad" is almost too complete; there is a wealth of material, so for tonight, let's all try to read at least the following:
Article 2 - The Kremlin Begs to Differ
Not required, but very interesting: Article 4 - To Die for Tallinn, by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan
Article 8 - Pride and Power
Article 10 - The Incredible Shrinking People
If time read (or if not, skim) Article 11 - NATO and Russia
In general, the first 100 pages of the book consist of an admirable history of Russia, with sections on domestic life, politics, demographics, foreign relations, etc. Read the articles above, but if you have the inclination, delve into those first 100 pages. I'd recommend p 65 (starting with the Russia-Georgia conflict) to p 72 (domestic violence against women) as a good overview for the purposes of our class. You might want to skim pp 46-49 or so on Putin's authoritarianism.
