Articles and analysis

Solzhenitsyn and the struggle for Russia's soul

By George Friedman

There are many people who write history. There are very few who make history through their writings. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who died this week at the age of 89, was one of them. In many ways, Solzhenitsyn laid the intellectual foundations for the fall of Soviet communism. That is well known. But Solzhenitsyn also laid the intellectual foundation for the Russia that is now emerging. That is less well known, and in some ways more important.

Fin de siecle at the UK MoD?

At the business end of defence management in the United Kingdom there is, from time to time, a period when a number of senior departures fundamentally affect the nuance in which the long-term plans for the Department are thought through.

Either by accident or design, Sir Bill Jeffrey also has a (literally) once in a lifetime opportunity to overhaul the MoD's management style because there are so many almost-simultaneous changes in the top management team. But observers fear that he won't, either because of timidity or because civil service leopards can't change their spots, whatever they might say.

Borders hotspots - Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia

As part of the Borders hotspots series, Defence Viewpoints had been monitoring the growing tension between Russia and Georgia over the South Ossetia region and has been spurred into writing due to the action today from Russia.

Russian tanks have entered the capital of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, says Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Georgia has been fighting separatists with ties to Russia in order to regain control of the province, which has been effectively independent since the 1990s.

Articles and analysis

Solzhenitsyn and the struggle for Russia's soul

Fin de siecle at the UK MoD?

Borders hotspots - Russia, Georgia and South Ossetia

More Articles...