BU Now » Russia

Fallout from Russian spy-ring bust

Dick Taffe — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:16:27 +0000

Even as his government acknowledged that its citizens were among the 11 people that U.S. authorities charged were part of a long-running spy operation, Russian Prime Minister Putin criticized U.S. law enforcement for busting up the espionage ring. International relations Professor Joseph Wippl, a 30-year CIA veteran, says Russia has continued a robust intelligence collection program since the break up of the Soviet Union, believing that relations between countries and regions can and will change.

“Good relations can become poor relations. Neutral relations can develop into hostile relations. For Russia, intelligence is not about countries that are hostile but about countries that are important.”

Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

Booze crackdown in Russia

Dick Taffe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:14:02 +0000

The Russian government wants to use price controls and a crackdown on bootlegged vodka to cut that nation’s “colossal drinking” by 72 percent over the next decade. International relations and sociology Professor Walter Connor, a Russian politics expert who once ran the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, says such a cultural turn-around will be tough.

“Everyday health habits in Russia have not improved since Communism’s fall. Any commitment of government resources to goals as ambitious as the ones outlined for this plan would have to be massive beyond experience.”

Contact Walter Connor, 617-353-2171, wdconnor@bu.edu

EU, Turkey sign gas pipeline deal

Dick Taffe — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:31:22 +0000

Aimed at cutting Europe’s reliance on energy from Russia, Turkey and five European Union nations today signed a landmark agreement to run a gas pipeline from the Caspian Sea area to Europe via Turkey. Energy risk-management expert Mark T. Williams, who teaches finance in the School of Management, can discuss what this could mean for global energy trade.

Contact Mark T. Williams, 617-358-2789, williams@bu.edu