The SRAS Newsletter
A Resource for Students, Educators, and Anyone Curious about Russia| | 
Barak Obama and Dmitri Medvedev meet for the first time in London on April 1, 2009. |
Welcome from SRAS!
As the crisis progresses, economists tell us, poorer countries are likely to be hardest hit. Underdeveloped or poorly diversified economies are less resilient and can experience harsher shifts in unemployment and tax revenues. Political scientists tell us that as this results in increased poverty and decreased social services, populations may revolt and governments may accept foreign demands in exchange for aid and loans. If all this is true, "The New Great Game " may intensify as Russia and the West continue to vie for influence over poorer countries in the former Soviet space and for access to the resources and/or transport routes they possess. SRAS focuses this month on the World around Russia: oil rich countries like Kazakhstan and important transport routes like Ukraine. We have also launched a revolutionary new program, "Politics and Oil," that will allow students to study energy policy, political science, and economics in Moscow at Russia's top school for international diplomacy. Application deadlines for fall are May 15th! To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org. News and Announcements 
SRAS has extended all fall deadlines to May 15th! Get your applications in now! Programs available: Politics and Oil; Russian as a Second Language; Kyrgyz Focus; Russian Studies Semester; Siberian Studies; Bordertalk: Sino-Russian Relations; and The Russian Far East. May 31st is the deadline to apply for the SRAS Work-Study Translation Program. Scholarships and stipends are available this fall to students with translation skills! May 31st is also the deadline to apply for the Charles Braver Language Exploration Grant. All students who have applied for an SRAS study abroad program are eligible for this $1000 award! Russia Has Started Screening Airline Passengers arriving from the Americas for symptoms of swine flu. The Committee on College and Pre-College Russian is conducting its annual census of college/university level 1st and 2nd year Russian enrollments. If you are a teacher, please contribute your statistics. If you are student, make sure your teacher knows about the census. Save Utrish is a new environmental movement seeking to save a Black Sea nature preserve with endangered trees from development. The National Language Policy Roundtable saw senior policy-makers and other officials gather in Washington last month to discuss solutions to the chronic deficit in the language capability and cultural understanding necessary for America to communicate effectively with friends and adversaries around the world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Обзоры: Learn About Russia and Eurasia
through the News | These news reviews strive to paint an accurate and balanced picture of life in Russia and to deliver information on important events affecting Eurasia. | |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  An American Gains Fresh Perspectives
A current SRAS student recalls former experiences in Kazakhstan, the culture shock he experienced, his achievements, and what he learned about himself in the process. Chernobyl: Short History of the Human Impact
SRAS's Student Relations Manager recently explored Ukraine and begins this two part series on the history and modern ecological state of Chernobyl. Kazakhstan: The Road to Independence (PDF, 5 MB)
This free 287-page book looks at how energy policy, geopolitics, and domestic issues have shaped the hydrocarbon-rich state of Kazakhstan. Yushchenko: "I Am Not Aiming To Be Popular"
Ukraine's president, Viktor Yushchenko, has an approval rating of less than 10%. He talks about his political fortunes and the gas conflicts with Russia that helped shape them. His former ally and now political competitor, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, also recently gave an interview to Foreign Policy magazine on many of the same issues. Documentary on Nagorno-Karabakh (streaming video)
A two-part YouTube video on the smoldering conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Also includes several interviews with locals in Russian with subtitles. (Link above to part one, part two located here.) Prospects for Russo-US Security Cooperation (PDF, 1 MB)
This new publication from the Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College looks at possibilities and challenges to US-Russia military relations, including the two countries' often conflicting views on and relations with Ukraine, Georgia, and Central Asia. Mikheil Saakashvili Interview
The Georgian president speaks with Newsweek about the protesters calling for his resignation and his relations with President Obama and Russia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
New Program: Politics and Oil
Politics & Oil is a comprehensive, hands-on academic program exploring politics, economics, diplomacy, and energy. The program, taught in English at Moscow's top school for international relations focuses on Russian energy policy, Russian energy companies and energy supplies, and international transit systems. Cultural Tour of Russia
Eat a home-cooked meal with Russians in their home. Create traditional painted porcelain under a Russian master. Sit in banyas and celebrate life with Russians who will show you how to sing, make toasts, relax, and laugh. SRAS has a full range of study programs. Click here! Scholarships and Grants
Thousands of dollars available for study abroad. SRAS Translation Program
Study translation in Moscow while gaining valuable professional experience and subsidising your trip abroad! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Beginning Russian Through Film
Beginning Russian Through Film is a free online course using more than 400 clips from Russian classic films and accompanying study materials.
Dmitri Medvedev Online
Dmitri Medvedev, Russia's president, runs a weekly video blog where he speaks (in relatively slow, clear Russian) about political and social issues of the day. There are also fully translated transcripts for each blog entry. See also the accompanying LiveJournal page for the transcripts in the original Russian and very active commentary on each entry posted by other readers!
Pereza… Что?
Our most recent Image of the Month looks at the perhaps well-conceived but poorly executed button gifted by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. You'll also learn a bit more about the prefix "пере-" and be challenged with a critical thinking section. Thirteen Unfortunate Occurrences
Отрывки из школьных сочинений (extracts from school compositions) is a popular genre of humor in Russia consisting of "one-liners," which rely on words with double-meanings, illogically juxtaposed sentences, misused words or idioms to create a comic effect. This month's Russian Mini Lesson looks at 13 examples of such jokes, with commentary on the linguistics and culture behind them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GapMinder (Web Application, heavy)
GapMinder.org offers a web application for comparing countries' development. Once it loads (it may take awhile), select the US and Russia on the right bar and click play. The differences in historical development are quite striking. Medvedev Interviewed by Novaya Gazeta
Novaya Gazeta is widely viewed as an opposition newspaper, often highly critical of the Kremlin. The implications of Medvedev granting this interview were widely debated. Read the English translation of the interview. | | | Planning on Researching Abroad? |
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Obama and Medvedev
Read the presidents' remarks (with official translation of Medvedev's) after they met for the first time at the G20 summit in London. You can also read a fuller question and answer session in which senior White House officials who were present at the meeting answer questions from the press. Clinton and Lavrov
Summary remarks after the US Secretary of State met with the Russian Foreign Minister. Prospects for Engagement with Russia (Streaming Video)
(Fast forward to 15:40 for the actual beginning of the footage.) The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is responsible for overseeing the foreign policy agencies of the U.S. government, including the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Peace Corps. The Committee reviews and considers all diplomatic nominations and international treaties, as well as legislation relating to U.S. foreign policy. US Policy Toward Russia (Streaming Video)
The Council on Foreign Relations, an influential Washington think-tank, recently held a conference addressing the challenges and opportunities to rebuilding US-Russia relations. Policy Recommendations: Russia Working Group
The Century Foundation has released recommendations for rebuilding a mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Russia, mindful that there is no simple path to repairing relations. M. Gorbachev & G. Shultz (Streaming Video)
The Charlie Rose Show recently featured interviews with the former Russian president and former US Secretary of State to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. If you have views or material you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact us. To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org. | 
