The United States and the EU Have Warned Moscow Against Recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The Russian leadership dramatically raised the stakes in its standoff with Georgia and Tbilisi’s sympathizers in the West. On Tuesday, Russia’s president signed a decree on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two separatist regions whose conflicts with the authorities in Tbilisi triggered three wars inside Georgia during the last 18 years. Since Dmitry Medvedev was expected to use the potential declaration as a bargaining tool in the future, many are now perplexed by his speedy decision.
More
RP

The West’s Policy of Ignoring Russia’s Demands Proved Perilous

The result of the recent showdown between Russia and Georgia on South Ossetian ground is hundreds if not thousands dead, many more wounded, and a dangerous deterioration of both the security situation in the Caucasus and the Russian-Western relations. What led the West down the path of a confrontation with Russia? How did we get sent “back to the future,” toward a new Cold War?
More
RP

“Socially-Enlightening” Marketing Initiatives Make Their Way into Moscow’s Advertising Domain

Organizers of several art initiatives in Moscow are hoping to elevate national artworks to new heights of cultural importance through advances in advertising and mass media technology. Reproductions of renowned masterpieces now adorn the streets through the “Art-Tour” and the “Masterpieces of World Art on the Streets of Russia’s Cities” projects, while paintings by the students of Sergei Andriyaka’s School of Watercolors brighten up mundane train rides on the Moscow metro.
More
RP