Suchergebnisse

The author and journalist Morten Jentoft reviews the book Herring in Fur Coat – 20 Years in Putin's Shadow, written by Kristoffer Lieng.

Abstract: On the Historiography of Zubov et al.'s History of Russia in the 20th CenturyAround 2009, a certain Kremlin-sanctioned Vergangenheitsbewältigung of Russia's Soviet past developed. A case in point is the collective two-volume work edited by Andrei B. Zubov, Istoriya Rossii. XX vek, published in 2009. Societal agency is said to be stressed over structural forces, but it is mainly the agency of Lenin, Stalin and later Soviet leaders that is analyzed. The narrative of the times before Stalin's ascent to power emphasizes repression, terror and planned famine as precursors of the totalitarian excesses under Stalin (1923–1953). The originality of Zubov's historiography is evident in his approach to the Great Fatherland War of 1941–1945, which Zubov refers to as The Soviet–Nazi War. Further, the narrative of the Cold War era culminates in an 'imperial overstretch' theory about the Soviet collapse. However, Zubov has been vehemently criticized for lack of critical rigor; his work represents an awkward mix of liberal enlightenment and obscurantism in its veneration of the fascistoid thinker Ilyin. Today Russia officially operates with one historical truth about the years 1941–45 and is hereby distancing itself from scholars like Zubov.

En lättläst minibiografi över Rosa Luxemburg till hundraårsminnet, behövs den? Gärna. Att kunskapsrikt och pedagogiskt förmedla den aviga revolutionsmarxistens idéer och öde i en tid av alternativens slut kan knappast vara en överloppsgärning. I postsocialismens tidevarv när klimatkris och överlevnadsfrågor ropar efter gemensamma lösningar behöver otrampade stigar belysas och igenbommade utvägar gläntas, även den »sosialisme nedenfra» som Ellen Engelstad och Mímir Kristjánsson välformulerat förknippar med Rosa Luxemburg. Den polskjudiska upprorskvinnan utgjorde både under sin stormiga och alltför korta livstid kring förra sekelskiftet och genom sitt oppositionella eftermäle, en röd nagel i ögat både på den socialdemokrati som i praktiken lät döda henne och kommunistdespoterna i öst. En ung, lärd kvinna som bestormade de socialdemokratiska patriarkerna, litade till »massornas» demokratiska självaktivitet, predikade internationalistisk fred och hoppades på revolutionen mot kapitalets herravälde och militarismens bödlar. Och som betalade priset genom nedbrytande fängelseår, och med sitt liv när allt stod och vägde.

Mycket har skrivits om första världskriget och dess politiker och militärer, inte minst vid jubileerna hundra år efteråt, men mycket mindre om offren, krigsfångarna och hjälparbetarna. Den här boken handlar om det svenska Röda korsets (RK) insatser i Ryssland bland de två miljonerna krigsfångar, främst från Tyskland och Österrike-Ungern, som spreds till läger över hela landet. Eftersom Sverige var neutralt i kriget, vände sig Tyskland och Ryssland 1915 till Sverige för att utväxla och få fram hjälp till sina respektive krigsfångar. Över tusen järnvägsvagnar med förnödenheter gick genom Sverige från Trelleborg till Haparanda för vidaretransport på ryska järnvägar. Inalles 77 svenska delegater arbetade på plats i Ryssland. Många var kvinnor, oftast ur överklassen, som sökte sig ut i arbetslivet som volontärer. De var tysktalande och anklagades ofta lokalt för tyskvänlighet och spioneri, många arresterades och några dödades. Detta blev Sveriges första stora humanitära insats utomlands och inledde en tradition som fortsatt till våra dagar.

Abstract in English: Close and Distant. Political Executive-Media Relations in Four CountriesElin Strand Larsen reviews Close and Distant. Political Executive-Media Relations in Four Countries. Edited by Karl Magnus Johansson and Gunnar Nygren, the book is based on a three-year long research project and analysis of the relationship between politicians, press secretaries and journalists in four countries – Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. By conducting thorough, well-coordinated research and numerous research interviews (20–25 from each country), the research group has studied the interplay between government and media in the period 2014–2017. The anthology contains four country-specific chapters, as well as the following cross-national themes: government communication, social media, source-journalist relationships, mediatisation and political communication cultures.

Abstract: An East-West divide in late-life wellbeing in Europe? A comparative study of 12 countries This study explores late-life loneliness and depression in European countries, noting the role of micro-level differences in socioeconomic status, health, and social variables. Findings from cross-sectional, nationally representative data from 12 countries and 36,000 individuals in the Generations and Gender Survey show a marked East–West divide among older but not among younger adults. Among older adults (aged 60–80) loneliness and depression are as much as three to four times more prevalent in Eastern European (20–40%) than in Northwest European countries (10–15%). These patterns reflect economic, social, and societal issues which in turn affect the conditions for active and healthy aging. There is considerable variation among Eastern European countries, correlating with macro-level economic development and welfare spending. Generous welfare states seem to offer a buffer against, or postpone, the risk of late-life depression and loneliness. Cultural factors may also play a role: because of high expectations as to strong family and community ties, Eastern Europeans may have a lower loneliness threshold than other Europeans.

Abstract: Russia's operationalization of a sphere of interest in the South CaucasusA central foreign policy objective of Russia is to maintain an exclusive sphere of interest in its post-Soviet neighbourhood. This article analyses how Russia employs a combination of political and military instruments in operationalizing its perceived sphere of interest in the still conflict-ridden South Caucasus. Russia is the only external power in the region to have military bases there, and is the only one seemingly ready to undertake military action. At present, Russia appears satisfied with the status quo in the South Caucasus. The unresolved conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh are therefore unlikely to be resolved in the near future. Unresolved conflicts suit Russia's objectives. Russian military bases in Georgia and Armenia provide Moscow with both a key lever against Tbilisi and Yerevan and a structural advantage for potential Russian military operations in the region. Russia's military posture in the Caucasus is relevant to the potential for large-scale conflict in the Southern war theatre, including the wider Middle East, and not just local conflicts in the Caucasus.