Let me use this blog to complain about the increasingly hostile attitude of the European and US media (and publics) to impartial research on Russia. Current russophobia andRussiabashing in western media makes it increasingly difficult to get the results of serious research onRussiaheard. This is not to complain about lacking access to the media and public visibility; actually it is not a real problem to get your views noticed, but they are immediately denounced as pro-Kremlin and pushed aside; furthermore a lack of visibility would not suffice to write this short blog entry.
What is indeed worrying though is the fact, that meticulous research which aims to provide a balanced, sober and knowledgeable view of both Russian domestic and foreign politcs, which runs counter to the currently accepted views, is increasingly attacked as utterly russophile. This connotation seeks to suggest that our research is not to be sonsidered serious and impartial. Incidents are increasing where critical but balanced research is attributed as Kremlin propaganda. On more than one accession funding for research projects was denied not based on criticsm on the scientific merits of the research proposal but due to an allegedly russophile bias of my work.
This is reminiscent of Cold War days and amounts to a kind of censorship and political denunciation. The Russian research community needs to get increasingly aware of this. There is no more interest in debate and critical thought; assessments seem to be fixed and made usable in political campaigns.
The irony is, that political discussions in Europe are not that much different from the Russian ones. I don’t know if this is a compliment or a humiliation to either of them, though.
Both Russian and European publics do not dedicate too much time to critical analysis of what they are being presented. Repetition does the job, Prof. Mangott (what a scandal – Europe is no less conformis as the post-Soviet society… ) As a result – we witness not only the matrix-style reader, but also the matrix-style journalists – one has to satisfy the mainstream expectations of the readers. Here, in messianic, civilized Europe, the matrix is no less hostile to the minority views as it is in the so much looked down at barbaric "sovereign democracy".
The reality, however is, your works are interesting exactly due to the fact that they present the alternative view – so rare by now in the open and tolerant European society.
… and imagine, I was hesitant to leave this comment to your entry, due to the fact that my name is Ukrainain/Russian.
Guess what was the reason for this…
Thanks, I appreciate your support. Particularly because you are a Russian who knows both sides of the coin.
I would like to call your attention to the European Council on Foreing Relations, a scientific "Think Tank" which has been set up recently and which is partly funded by the George Soros Foundation. By calling their campaign "EU vs. Russia", this Council does not leave any doubt that its objective is not to exercise reasonable care but to put the bite on Russia. It is amusing to read in their reports, that Russia provokes divisions in Europe regarding the issue of Kosovo’s independence. These reasearchers would be well advised to take into account that states like Spain or Slovakia have their own minorities on their territories and are as a consequence reluctant to undertake overhasty steps such as recognizing Kosovo’s independence. In fact, Russia is a very good excuse for the political failure of the EU in the Balkans. The Council’s researchers also stress the importance of a coherent and comprehensive European Foreign Policy. I cannot agree more on this position, it is necessary to fill the obvious gap between the EU’s economic weight and its political clout. But to demonize Russia will not allow us to reach this goal. This Council gives evidence, that the majority of observers in the West still think that Russia has no option other than to orient itself towards the West and Western values. Russia’s flirt with China and the astonishing progress in the area of the SOC (Shanghai Organization of Cooperation) integration is not taken seriously. The EU does not even discuss the importance to apply for observer status in this Organization. Just in contrary, the majority of Russians seem to think that the liberal Western State model, which the country tried to adopt in the 1990s, is not attractive any longer. The danger of a deepening split between Russia and the EU is unfortunately realistic. The present EU and this ‘Council’ do not care if we lose Russia, and the growing list of disagreements between the EU and Russia will further complicate any reapprochement. Dear Prof. Mangott, I really appreciate your works. And I want to join Olga in stressing that especially today it is necessary to present alternative views on Russia. Of course the contemporary situation of human rights meets justified criticism. But the set up a Good-Governace-First-Policy towards Russia will even strengthen our conflicts.