Russia and WTO

More than 10-15 years after most of the former Soviet Union and former Eastern Bloc countries joined the World Trade Organization, Russia remains one of the largest economies in the world that is not a member. However, this may change soon. After years of debates, Russia and Georgia have struck an agreement that would allow Russia to join the WTO. Russia is currently the only BRIC economy that is not a member of this organization. Of the other FSU countries, Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan are still in the Observer stage, and Turkmenistan has not started negotiations.

Bribery and Corruption

According to Transparency International's Russian director, Elena Panfilova, "There are no islands of integrity in Russian public and business life." TI's report of 28 countries ranks Russia at the bottom, where bribery was most likely to be mixed with business transactions. China was ranked only one step ahead, at #27.

Curiously, there are no other CIS or post-communist European states included in this study. Indeed, according to TI's 2010 Corruption Prediction Index, many of the states of this region fall into the red, with Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan ranking below even Russia in terms of flagrant corruption. The full list of anti-corruption reports can be found here

Hemingway's New City

This summer, NYT launched a debate on Europe's most vibrant city as a cultural hub and center of culture. Many of the critics seem stuck in a debate over London vs. Berlin. Others have considered Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, and more.

While London is definitely an economic center and global city and Berlin is certainly a vibrant city for young Germans and ex-pats seeking alternative culture, I would argue that this list should include more cities in Central Europe such as Budapest and Prague, and perhaps in Southeastern Europe Belgrade and Sarajevo. Too many Western Europeans and Americans seem to forget that the nations of Central and Eastern Europe when thinking of the European continent, and these cities have become bustling cultural hubs and havens for young people seeking cheap(er) rent, culture, and intellect in the center of Europe.

Hemingway and the other writers of the 1920s would probably be among them.

Sofia's New Art Museum

After a long hiatus of much studying and traveling, I will be returning to this project soon.

I haven't made it far enough south yet in the Balkans, but Sofia is joining the ranks of cities such as Berlin, Prague, and Budapest who put their communist past on public display. These exhibits represent an interesting aspect of the transitions in each country, and the debate rages as to how to display their past.

Sofia, Bulgaria: Museum of Socialist (or Totalitarian?) Art