Dissolution of the USSR
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S T U D EN T ' S NEW S P A PER S T . P E T ER sb URG S tat E U NI V ER S I T Y 5 4 th E D I T I O N № 2 2 ( 3 4 2 ) 0 8 d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 w w w . 1 - l i n e . s p b u . r u pourang zarif rené bosch elena campos & miyu hirano There are two signs making Russians The 9th of May is a big date for Russians. You are what you eat, the famous saying worried these days. They check them Every year, the military shows its power by goes. In St. Petersburg one could change when they leave their houses before going parading through Moscow, commemorating this to “You are what you assume you are to work. These signs affect all Russians. the victory against Nazi Germany... eating” as this international tourist... (continued on page 2) (continued on page 3) (continued on page 9) The world comes to St. Petersburg. Students from different countries visit St. Petersburg State University to earn a degree in Global Communication and International Journalism. LEE TURNER NatalIA RENÉ KODAK SMOLENTCEVA BOSCH EDITORIAL HISTORICAL FEATURE he editorial board A release date for our It has been far from of First Line has special edition more perfect than easy to produce this volume Tentrusted this week’s December 8th is hard to imagine. but producing a university Dissolution of the USSR issue to the students of the On this same date in 1991, ink newspaper is meant to be a years ago today, the process of granting sovereignty stated the priority of the Global Communication and on a page effectively signified the learning experience and the biggest country in to newly-created republics. All republican laws over Soviet ones. International Journalism Masters dissolution of the Soviet Union past few weeks have certainly the world, The Union of this took place in times of Other republics followed their programme. As you can see and the establishment of the been that. Finding topics of 23 of Soviet Socialistic Republics economic and political crisis example. from the map at the top of the Commonwealth of Independent interest to readers and writers ceased to exist. On December amid a rise of political pluralism On March 17th, 1991 a page, the contributors come States in its place. Sharing this alike was a struggle. Motivating 26th, 1991 the Supreme Soviet caused by the cancelation of referendum about the future of from various backgrounds and page is an examination of that journalists to write articles was issued declaration Nº 142- Article 6 of the Constitution of the country was held. For the first have traveled great distances to turbulent time as it appeared a struggle. Meeting deadlines H and the huge country was the USSR about the leading role time, the destiny of the Soviet be in St. Petersburg. In order to to ordinary people who lived was a struggle. Spelling, dissolved into 12 different of the Communist Party. Union depended on the will of begin work on this newspaper, through it. punctuation and grammar parts. But this was not a one- The Central Committee of the people. The actual question the greatest challenge we faced Heavy journalism on the was an unforeseen, straggle. day event; the whole process the Communist Party began was: “Do you consider necessary was finding an overarching serious topics that dominate the However, the participants in of dissolution started much to worry only in 1989 when the preservation of the Union topic; something to link media are by no means all that the Global Communication earlier, as some historians say, the nationalistic interests were of Soviet Socialist Republics as everything together; something our group has drummed up for and International Journalism with Gorbachev’s Perestroika. already very strong. Neither a renewed federation of equal that everyone could relate to First Line. In between the doom programme have come through National conflicts within special laws to “calm” certain sovereign republics in which and contribute to. After much and gloom are pieces about the to put together a multi-faceted the USSR, such as protests in regions, nor special commissions the rights and freedom of an deliberation, the editorial team beauty of St. Petersburg and study of St. Petersburg informed Kazakhstan (1986), tensions organized to discuss the issue individual of any nationality will made the decision to keep things those fighting to keep it beautiful, by the dozen or so cultures between Georgians and served to resolve the problem. be fully guaranteed?” Nobody simple and produce a newspaper some of the people that call the represented in the group. Profiles Abkhazians, the Nagorno- The first to proclaim their knew exactly what “a renewed with one central question: What city home and the pleasures of the people who have created Karabakh conflict (1988) and sovereignty were the Baltic federation” meant, but 76% is global and international one can enjoy here. Two of this issue and the programme the fall of communist regimes republics: Estonia (November voted “yes”. 9 months later the about St. Petersburg? A look our contributors sampled and they have undertaken can be in European countries such 1988), Lithuania (April 1989) Soviet Union was dissolved. at the relationship between commented on some of the found on the back page of this as Poland, Czechoslovakia and Latvia (July 1989). They A sociological poll Russia’s cultural capital and foreign cuisines now available newspaper. Read on to see just and Romania in 1989 lead to a adopted the documents that conducted by the Levada Centre the rest of the globe provides in St. Petersburg restaurants, what this mixture has brought a scope in which each of our while two others investigated the forth. (continued on page 6) contributors could surely find working conditions and salaries something that catches their eye. of those who work in them. 2 FIRST LINE INTERNATIONAL EDITION POURANG ZAI R F ECONOMICS Rouble Slide: Is it sanctions? Oil? Both? here are two signs making Russians worried these days. They companies received loans in US that it will not step back if check them when they leave their houses before going to dollars, Swiss francs, or euros Western sanctions are tightened. Twork. These signs affect all Russians. It does not make any for the first time in 5 years, while What can be concluded then is difference whether one is young or old; the rouble’s value against dollar lending plummeted 42% from that until the West can find an and euro impacts everyone. But how did we get into this situation? $4.7 billion in 2013. On the alternate supplier of energy On March 9th 2014, President Barack Obama signed Executive other hand, Russian lenders have and build up the infrastructure AUTHOR: WORLD ECONOMIC OUTLOOK; RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES; AND Graph 1 Order 13660, imposing sanctions on Russia. He signed two other suffered a great deal, far more to transfer it, which could take IMF STAFF ESTIMATES AND CALCULATIONS major orders on the 17th and 20th, warning that the annexation than their Western counterparts. decades, Russia has the upper of Crimea would cost Russia. Russian President Vladimir seems The biggest Russian lender, hand in the energy poker game. willingly accept that cost. European Union sanctions followed and OAO Sberbank, lost $22.8 What can the West do to Russia reciprocated the sanctions. This could be, in brief, what billion in the same period. On win? History now tells us that the happened regarding Ukraine, however, this does not prove how a smaller scale, the price of West has been unsuccessful in effective the sanctions imposed by the West have been and leaves buckwheat, the established bringing a close friend of Russia, another question: could these sanctions have been more effective? staple in less-developed parts Iran, to the negotiating table. of Russia, increased by nearly Iran, like Russia, relies heavily on 28% in February, according to oil and gas exports. Iran finally OW FFECTIVE RE HEY H E A T ? the Federal Statistics Service. yielded when the West targeted Since the beginning of the the oil price declines to $60 per Sanctions are hurting; however, its money transfer and banking year, sanctions and the fall of barrel, the economy will have their effect is not strong enough system. Without the ability to oil and gas prices have seen the negative growth.” to make such a great difference. transfer money easily, selling rouble plummet 23% and 30% The question of whether Nikolay Mezhevich, a professor oil and gas would do Russia no against the Euro and the US sanctions have been effective is of European Studies at St. good. After all, what is the use Dollar respectively. Russia has not yet answered. The Russian Petersburg State University, of money that cannot be spent, Graph 2 AUTHOR: WWW.TRADINGECONOMICS.COM | FEDERAL STATE STATISTICS SERVICE spent $70 billion of its foreign economy is trembling mainly believes the sanctions were not withdrawn, or transferred? Iran reserves to avoid economic because of the price of oil. effective at all; believing 2% did the same: It sold its oil to collapse. A weak rouble may not Sanctions have been effective, of rouble devaluation is due to China and India, but was paid be that bad for the Kremlin as but perhaps not enough to make sanctions, 98% due to the oil in gold, a difficult currency to it can obtain more roubles for the Kremlin change its policies. market. transport. In some cases, the its oil, but that comes with a Oil prices have fallen due to money was blocked for months.