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| 01.01.2006
С Новым Годом from SRAS!
Thousands of Russians gathered in central squares across Russia to ring in the New Year. They were treated to laser shows, movies, lots of fireworks, and of course a holiday "toast" from President Putin. New Year's is also the major gift-giving holiday in Russia (as opposed to Christmas) and now, in the 10-day federal holiday that follows, many are traveling to see family and friends.
What is SRAS giving you for New Year's? A new newsletter, a reminder that January is the time to think about summer study, and a short list of gifts that you should get yourself. We know they are not much, but we hope you will enjoy them!
May the New Year bring you happiness and success in whatever you do! |
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News: NGO Regulation and Gas Wars
The Duma has passed a revised version of the controversial NGO bill that is expected to become law soon. Read an original article, with a synopsis of the bill in English, here.
The president's economic adviser, Andrei Illarionov, who was seen as the one "dissenter" in the Kremlin, has resigned, saying that the liberal economy he was hired to help create has turned into a "corporativist model" with nominally state owned enterprises acting in their own interests.
As most analysts predicted, the City Duma elections turnout on December 4th was low, 34%. Also not surprising was United Russia's (President Putin's political party) "landslide" of 47% of the vote, followed by the Communists with 17%, and Yabloko with 11%. Similar voter apathy results are expected in the next State Duma elections.
Lastly, Russian TV showed gas pipelines being depressurized on New Year's Day. Russia is demanding a four-fold price increase for gas sold to the formerly subsidized Ukraine. Most economists agree this would collapse the Ukrainian economy. The move comes as politicians are gearing up campaigns for the March parliamentary elections. |
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Business: Kissing Cowboys
SRAS founder Renee Stillings was recently interviewed in The Well, a bilingual publication aimed at Russian professionals, for her thoughts on doing business in Moscow. She gives lots of advice on how newcomers should prepare themselves. She even gives thoughts on what businesses would likely do well, and which sink. Click here for the full interview (off-site).
Renee is also a partner and co-founder of Alinga Consulting Group, a full-service consultancy offering audit and tax consulting, accounting and payroll, and legal services. |
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Featured Services: Vestnik and Grants
SRAS is proud to announce the third issue of Vestnik: the Journal of Russian and Asian Studies. This issue is broadly unified by a central theme: looking at how foreign influences have affected the Russian language, political structures, philsophy, and artistic products. The issue also looks at how the Soviets influenced and affected a group of immigrants from the US and other related issues. To read Vestnik, click here. To find out more about the next issue, click here.
In recognition of Senate Resolution 308, which declares 2006 "The Year of Study Abroad," SRAS plans to assist select students in research and Russian language study with new merit-based grant programs. The program is currently being finalized and will be announced in next month's newsletter, on Feb 1st. |
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Travel: Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan and the only large urban area in the agricultural country. However, it remains politically important for its strategic position for American military operations and for its uranium mines. With the generous support received from the State Department and international sources, university programs (in Russian and English) have been founded to improve the economic climate of the region, giving foreign students an excellent opportunity to come and experience the fascinating history of a once nomadic people.
For more information about the U.S. efforts in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, click here. |
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Featured University: AUCA
The American University - Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, was the first in the area to adopt an American model of credit hours, American style curricula, and a commitment to democratic values and freedom of expression and inquiry. As it's founding was funded partially by the US State Department, it should be little surprise that Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and various US Ambassadors have all spoken here. Classes are taught here in Russian, English, and Kyrgyz. The university continues to enjoy a high reputation as one of Central Asia's best locations for study, whether for a short language program, semester abroad, or full degree programs. For more information, click here. |
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Culture: The "Lost" Epic of Manas
Manas is an epic poem more than 1000 years old, more than 500,000 lines long and of immeasurable cultural significance to the Kyrgyz, one of Central Asia's oldest people (the first record of them was made in the second century BC) and one the US's partners in spreading democracy. Long banned under the Soviets and long overlooked by western scholars due the difficulty of translating and studying such a culturally imbued epic, the poem is now coming to light due to the efforts of the Kyrgyz government, the United Nations, and a lone scholar in Seattle. SRAS brings you a new original article on this fascinating cultural treasure here.
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Language: A Military Life - Армейская жизнь
Given that Russia still employs universal conscription, military life (or the avoidance of it) represents a large part of the Russian collective experience. Not surprisingly, jokes and terminology from military life are common in popular culture. For a full article written by Dr. Lawerence Mansour of West Point on this subject, click here. It appears on the SRAS site courtesy of the editors of The Russian Context, the unique resource book it was originally published in.
The following military one-liners are from the same source:
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Всех отсутствующих построить в одну шеренгу! |
Line up all the missing men in one column! |
| И не делайте умное лицо, не забывайте, что вы будете офицеры. |
Don't try to look intelligent. Don't forget that you are future officers. |
| Курсант, если вы хотите что-нибудь сказать, то луше молчите. |
Cadet, if you want to say something, you'd better keep quiet. |
| Все в окопы, остальные за мной! |
Everyone into the trenches! The rest follow me! | |
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