The issue topics are: The Focal Model of Modernization and the Thaw on the Black Sea.

Is it inevitable for a policy of modernization to create ‘focal’ spots of development (like Skolkovo in Russia, or Shanghai in China, etc.), or should a policy of modernization seek to simultaneously effect all regions of a country equally? To what extent can the involvement of foreign experts in these processes be justified, particularly those who originate from countries with entirely different developmental histories? This issue will also look at a discussion concerning recent agreements between Russia and Ukraine over the status and placement of the Russian Navy in Sevastopol. The Newsletter presents the ideas of Ian Shapiro, a famous American political philosopher; Igor Yurgens, Chairman of the Management Board of the Institute for Modern Development; Vladimir Malyavin, Professor of Tamkang University in Taiwan, and Director of the Institute of Russian Studies; Mikhail Pogrebinskiy, Director of the Kiev Center for Political Studies and Conflict Resolution; and Timofei Bordachev, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies. Also in the issue are the comments of Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent, who presents his thoughts regarding the nomination of Roger Kornberg, a Nobel Prize winner, as one of the Co-Chairmen of the Scientific and Technical Board at Skolkovo.