To Edinburgh’s Summerhall for a reception to mark the UK premiere of ‘This Kind of Hope’, a documentary about Belarusian dissident Andrei Sannikov.A red and white flag is flying from the flagpole above the rambling arts venue’s entrance. Used during Belarus’ brief moment of independence, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this is now an emblem of the opposition … [Read more...] about Flying the flag for Belarusian dissidents
Russia
Why ejecting Russia from Swift is largely symbolic
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is horrifying. Western leaders, fearing a broader war, are responding primarily with economic sanctions. A prominent economic sanction has been Russia’s exclusion from the international payments messaging system Swift, presented as a powerful means of undermining its economy. But for a payments expert such as myself, this is something of a myth. … [Read more...] about Why ejecting Russia from Swift is largely symbolic
Putin’s complaisant middle class
A wave of protests rocked Moscow and scores of other cities across Russia between 2011 and 2013. The demonstrators called for free and fair elections and some even demanded an end to the Putin regime.Many Russian commentators argued these mass protests were spearheaded by members of the urban middle class, and the world’s … [Read more...] about Putin’s complaisant middle class