Censored

Russia's main exports are oil, other petroleum products, metals such as aluminum, timber and ... strategic military research?

St. Petersburg University faculty members were told in an October 1 internal order they'd be required to get permission from administrators before presenting or publishing their research abroad.

The restrictions extended to professors in the social sciences and humanities, which is odd given that the export-control law the order cited is largely concerned with controlling the export of "dual-use" technology that has potential military applications.

The Russian Web site Cogita.Ru published a copy of the order. Since the decree went public, it received international attention as professors wary of a return to Soviet-style censorship threatened to leave the university. They feared that scholars would be fired simply for being critical of the government. Administrators insisted that the new rule sought to protect national security and intellectual property laws.

However, St. Petersburg University officials abandoned the regulation this month to ease scholar's fears of increased controls over interaction with foreign scholars, publishing and traveling abroad.

In an official statement, the head of the university's scientific research department, Olga Moskaleva, acknowledged the "intense interest of the media" in the situation. I imagine the media frenzy and its suspicions of academic censorship had just as much to do with the university administration's retreat.

Even since the nineteenth century, in the days of Imperial Russia, Russian leaders have been concerned about the dangers of free speech. Could the university administrators really have been concerned about intellectual property?

It's hard to believe. Russia's academic isolation has hindered educational efforts more than it has insured national security. No Russian university ranks in the top 100 world universities. If Russian institutions want to rise up through these ranks, they would be greatly advantaged by publishing in internationally respected journals. Additional restrictions on the "export" of social science and humanities research would certainly not have boosted Russian academic standing.

It seems Russian officials still prioritize the control of information over academic freedom.

And the walls came tumbling down

Although the physical barrier between the Soviet Union and the Western world has collapsed, in many ways Russia remains isolated; a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

The world celebrated the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall Monday, November 9. While most looked back triumphantly on the event that reunified Germany and led to the end of the Cold War, according to the Moscow Times, Russian dignitaries spoke about the anniversary with considerably more ambivalence.

President Medvedev recently said in an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel, "The Berlin Wall was a symbol of the division of the continent, and the fall of the Wall united us again." Yet, despite this positive response, Medvedev also expressed some resentment that Russia still had not been welcomed or integrated into Western Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

On the anniversary of the collapse, we recognize that a physical wall between Russia and the world was dismantled. But a political wall remains. By excluding Russia from NATO and ignoring the nation's concerns and demands, the West has rebuilt a politically polarizing division between Russia and the rest of Europe. Russia remains a political and cultural "other."

If Western Europe, the United States and the rest of the so-called industrialized world isolates Russia, they will provoke Russian politicians to political aggression. Russia has historically taken pride in expansionism and the notion of empire, and to block Russia from the Western political sphere will simply remind Russian statesmen that their circle of influence continues to diminish.

In addition, Russian tsars, the likes of Peter the Great, historically fought for Russia to be recognized as a modern, industrialized, forward-thinking nation. Modern leaders still wage this same battle. To be excluded from the global community, reinforces the Russian fear that Europeans and Americans think of Russia as an uneducated and backward nation.

For Russia to regain its status as a major political force, either Russians will have to learn to play the Western political game, or the Western world will have to acknowledge Russian interests.

Bottoms Up!

Russia may be the world's leader in alcohol consumption -- drinking nearly 4.75 gallons of alcohol per person each year -- but this title is nothing Russian politicians brag about.

Recently, Russia's penchant for the bottle has been given a great deal of attention in both American news and Russian political agendas. The New York Times ran an article last week faulting alcohol for Russia's struggle to keep up in a competitive global marketplace. President Medvedev has called alcohol abuse a serious problem, likening its crippling effects to that of a national disaster.

The New York Times article I mentioned earlier, calls drinking "A mainstay of Russian life, both a beloved social lubricant and a ready means for escaping everyday hardship." While this statement represents elements of truth about alcohol consumption and abuse in Russia, it hardly takes into account the many traditions that inform drinking practices.

Undoubtedly, the alcoholization of the Russian population is cause for concern, but let's take a moment to consider Russia's drinking customs and habits. Russians -- as we all know -- like to drink hard liquor, namely vodka. In most Russian homes, it is customary to polish off a bottle of vodka once it has been opened, if for no other reason than to be polite to your host.

In the usual drinking ritual, the glasses of everyone present must be full and a member of the party must propose a toast such as "Za zdarovie!" meaning "Here's to health!" or "Za schastie!" meaning "Here's to happiness!" Everyone present must drain their glasses in the spirit of solidarity, otherwise they do not support the toast.

These rites call on feelings of friendship, hospitality, honor and trust. They foster community. Heavy drinking is socially acceptable in Russia, but the alcoholism that plagues Russians today is not a necessary function of such customs. More likely, it is reflective of pervasive poverty and desperation.

In the long run, alcohol abuse can be effectively controlled only by improving the living conditions of Russian citizens.

To start off with ...

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