author

 
 

Meta

Sergei Guriev
For Sergei Guriev's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / The Year Ahead
Jan 3, 2023
The return of the end of history
Without political checks and balances, free media and an independent civil society, autocrats do not receive the feedback needed to make wise and competent decisions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2021
What's behind the greening of the Kremlin?
President Vladimir Putin recently announced Russia aims to become carbon neutral by 2060 u2014 10 years after the United States and the European Union but at the same time as China.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2017
Pitfalls of strongman populism
Democratically adopted policies have more staying power than those imposed by autocrats.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2016
Russia may be preparing a privatization fire sale
Faced with a rapidly deteriorating fiscal position, Russia's government has announced that it will privatize major state-owned firms, but institutional reforms are needed first.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2015
Russia's indefensible budget
Vladimir Putin is playing with dynamite if he thinks Russia can maintain its military spending amid low global oil prices.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2014
Economic stakes for Putin
Regardless of the West's response to the Crimean crisis, the economic damage to Russia will be vast. First, there are the direct costs of military operations and of supporting the Crimean regime. Then there are the costs related to the impact of sanctions on trade and investment.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2013
Politics explain Russia's stagnation
For Russia's political elite, a big piece of a shrinking economic pie is preferable to no piece of a growing one.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 1, 2013
The battle for Moscow will shape Russia's future
Win or lose, Alexei Navalny's campaign in the Moscow mayoral election will have a lasting impact on Russia's democratic future.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 9, 2012
Russia's inevitable democratization
Twenty years ago, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, the Soviet Union ended, and Russia began an imperfect transition to democratic capitalism — a transition that has proven to be far more difficult than expected.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2011
Medvedev's purge of the Kremlin chairmen
MOSCOW — In recent days, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has moved against some of the most powerful men in the Kremlin, including Igor Sechin, a deputy prime minister who is perhaps the closest figure to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin — and who is also the chairman of Rosneft, Russia's largest oil firm. A decree signed by Medvedev with the stated purpose of improving the country's investment climate will strip Sechin and others of their chairmanships of some of Russia's biggest state-owned companies. But the purge may reflect other, more important goals.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 26, 2011
Conscripted prisoners of the Russian Army
MOSCOW — Some of the most interesting artifacts of the Soviet Union in Russia are the holidays that continue to be celebrated, almost two decades after the fall of communism. On Feb. 23, Russians celebrated the "Day of the Defender of the Fatherland," a rough equivalent of Father's Day but with a militaristic flavor. On this day, daughters, wives, and girlfriends give presents to Russian men and lavish them with attention. (In fairness, there is also "Women's Day" — March 8 — and a newly popular Valentine's Day.)
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 4, 2010
That 70s show in Russia
MOSCOW — Can Russia escape the "resource curse" implied by high oil prices, or will it succumb to what we call a "70-80" scenario? That is the question confronting Russians today, and we fear that their fate will be the latter: If oil prices remain at $70 to $80 per barrel, Russia is likely to relive key features of the Brezhnev era of the 1970s and 1980s — with a stagnating economy and 70 to 80 percent approval ratings for its political leaders.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 5, 2009
Can Russia's economy be saved?
MOSCOW — Russia's economy is collapsing, but the situation could be worse. The economic crisis has finally forced the government to adopt sensible policies, thereby staving off disaster — at least for now.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 18, 2008
The Russians are coming — loaded with cash
MOSCOW — Russia's government is sitting on a giant pile of cash that it plans to invest in foreign assets. The glimpse of its economic muscle was revealed when the prime minister of Iceland announced that Russia may come with about $5 billion to save its troubled economy. Who could have thought that, given the chaotic Russia of the 1990s, only 10 years later it would be in the position to bail out a developed country? Even more surprising is the fact that the helping hand for Iceland comes at a time when the domestic stock market is in a free fall and trading on the Moscow stock exchange is routinely halted.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world