The topic of the issue is “Reactionaries and Modernisers In the Age of Upheavals”

Who is obstructing the path towards progressive changes in Russia? Are there any groups within the political elite that we could call reactionary? What exactly constitutes a progressive agenda in the 21st century? Is it possible to consider the establishment of global governance institutions as part of a progressive agenda in the 21st century? The widespread practices of international intervention, as we are observing in Libya for instance, are purportedly aimed at ensuring the protection of human rights, so can they be regarded as progressive developments? What can be deemed as reactionary forces in the modern world? Who stands behind them and what is their position? Who has the upper hand today: the progressive forces or the reactionary forces, which are opposing these tendencies for any number of reasons?

These and other questions are answered by Corey Robin, an American liberal political theorist; Dmitry Muratov, a Russian journalist and Editor-in-chief of ‘Novaya Gazeta’; Mikhail Leontiev, a Russian pundit known for his TV program ‘Odnako’; Dmitry Furman, a political scientist and historian, who is Chief Research Associate at the Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences; Modest Kolerov, a Russian historian and Editor-in-chief of the REGNUM information agency; Pepe Escobar, a Brazilian left-leaning journalist, political scientist, analytical writer and observer at the independent American information agency ‘The Real News’; Gary Hart, an American politician and Co-chairman of the US-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission; Dmitry Olshansky, a journalist and political commentator; Jacques Sapir, one of the leading European experts on Eastern European economies and Director of L'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris; and Maxim Kononenko, a Russian journalist and political commentator.