Russia's current depopulation has been underway far longer than any previous population drop in Russian memory. It is not clear how this one is to be arrested or reversed.

Should Qassem Suleimani pursue politics, he may be replaced by his deputy, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, who is believed to be directing the IRGC QF’s activities in Afghanistan.

Answering questions without a shade of fear or reticence and with remarkable thoughtfulness and self-awareness, the men and women we interviewed in Russia revealed deeply personal, passionate commitment to dignity in liberty and citizenship.

Vladimir Putin will likely run for president of Russia in 2012; Dmitri Medvedev faces a stark dilemma: be a Khrushchev or a Gorbachev?

The Internet is already a major factor in Russian politics--and its influence is growing almost daily.

Russia's continued drops in production, growing unemployment, and deeper impoverishment all converge in one economic, social, and political area: the country's 460 company towns.

Circumstances in Russia point to the gradual erosion of legitimacy and political institutions--or a sudden collapse of the regime, like the recent Egyptian antiauthoritarian revolt.

Vladimir Putin's re-centralization raised the center of political gravity to the very top at precisely the time when the Russian state will need every available ounce of stability and maneuverability.