Russia 2008 - Between Elections: Duma elections in December and Presidential elections in March

01 February 2008, Kirkenes, Barents Spektakel 2008

A resurgent Russia under the resolute leadership of Vladimir Putin is displaying its wealth with pride on the global geopolitical stage. Russia´s military is slowly recovering after more than a decade of neglect – and in the north Russian scientists staked claim to the Arctic by planting a flag on the seabed under the North Pole. In domestic politics, Putin is the man who has delivered what his people want: stability, prosperity and national pride.

In just four years, Russia´s GDP has almost trebled. The economy is now growing at almost seven percent per year. Inflation, meanwhile, has slipped to single-digit figures. That is most likely why Putin has the highest voter approval rating of anyone in the world.

The challenging side of Putin’s Russia is the democratic rights and freedoms for media and NGOs. Three out of four senior Russian officials today were once affiliated to the KGB and other security and military organisations. We have seen how the different power structures can squash opposition, media, courts and civil society groups’ participation in debates. Do we need to be concerned about the trends in Russian politics recently? How do the changes influence the people-to-people contacts within the regional Barents Cooperation?

These are some of the questions to be highlighted at the mini-symposium in Kirkenes between the Duma- and presidential elections in Russia.

Speakers:
JOHN EDWIN MROZ, President, East-West Institute, NYC, USA.
ANDREI KORTUNOV, President, New Eurasia Foundation, Moscow, Russia.
ALEKSANDR NIKITIN, the Bellona Foundation, St Petersburg, Russia.
ATLE STAALESEN, the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Kirkenes, Norway.

Moderator:
THOMAS NILSEN, the Norwegian Barents Secretariat, Kirkenes, Norway.

Denne Transborder Caféen avsluttes med visesangeren JØRN SIMEN ØVERLI, som presenterer sin bok «Vladimir Vysotskij og hans russiske gitarpoesi» (2000), med et par låter av Russlands store folkepoet Vladimir Vysotskij.