issue #14 (56), 2010
“The Fears of the New Decade”
In modern society, fear is becoming one of the leading factors influencing our public, political and social life. Fear is also an excellent instrument for manipulating public opinion. What exactly are our fears that play role in the coming decade? What are the differences between the fears that are inherent in Russian and in other societies? Who is the major source and beneficiary of such fears? And how beneficial is the “fear industry”? These and other questions are answered by the following experts: Jacque Ranciere, French philosopher; Zygmunt Bauman, professor at the University of Leeds; Konstantin Krylov, a politician & publicist; John Grey, professor emeritus of European thought at the London School of Economics; Dmitry Bykov, a writer, journalist and poet; Corey Robin, author of the book “Fear: the history of a political idea”. Also in this issue Vladimir Nesterenko, journalist and playwright known under the nickname “Adolfych”.
Konstantin Arshin
MODERNITY AS VIOLENCE
Alexander Muchnik, Mikhail Baymuratov, and Oleg Dolzhenkov
THE UKRAINIAN SYSTEM
Vladimir Nesterenko (‘Adolfych’)
SOCIETY THAT GENERATES FEAR
ARTEMY MAGUN
BEHIND THE WALL OF FEAR THERE IS THE PLEASURE FROM NEGATIVITY
Corey Robin
PRIVATE ACTORS ARE MORE FRIGHTFUL THAN THE STATE
Ella Paneyakh
SOCIETY DEMANDS NOT FEAR BUT STANDARDS
SERGEI KARA-MURZA
ISSUES OF ADAPTATION
Brigitte Nacos
TERRORISM WILL STILL BE A THREAT
Dmitry Bykov
THE PHOBIA OF REPETITION AND THE FEAR OF UNKNOWN
John Gray
POLITICS WITHOUT FEAR IS A UTOPIA
ALEXANDER OSLON
MENTAL VIRUSES IN THE POLITICAL SPHERE
Alexander Cockburn
FEAR AS A CURRENCY OF DEMOCRACIES
Irina Dudenkova
COMPETITION OF VICTIMS IN A SOCIETY OF COWARDS
Frank Furedi
LET’S TAKE A RISK!
ANDREY GROMOV
THE AUTHORITIES PLAY WITH MASS FEARS
Jacques Ranciere
OLIGARCHS ‘SELL’ US THE FEELING OF DANGER
BORIS MEZHUEV
MEDVEDEV AND THE FEAR OF BACK WARDNESS
Konstantin Krylov
RUSSIAN AND NONRUSSIAN FEARS
Zygmunt Bauman
IN THE GRIP OF IGNORANCE AND IMPOTENCE