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Mitchell A. Orenstein

Mitchell A. Orenstein

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Mitchell A. Orenstein, Professor of Russian and East European Studies and Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of The Lands in Between: Russia vs. the West and the New Politics of Hybrid War (Oxford University Press, 2019.

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  1. Why Orbán Won Again
    szikra2_FERENC ISZAAFP via Getty Images_orban voting FERENC ISZA/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Orbán Won Again

    Apr 5, 2022 Dorottya Szikra & Mitchell A. Orenstein say that Hungary’s strongman can rely on more than media control and a rigged electoral system.

  2. Why Won't Eastern Europeans Get Vaccinated?
    ghodsee3_NIKOLAY DOYCHINOVAFP via Getty Images_bulgairavaccineprotest Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images

    Why Won't Eastern Europeans Get Vaccinated?

    Nov 8, 2021 Kristen Ghodsee & Mitchell A. Orenstein argue that low inoculation rates reflect not the legacy of communism, but rather the legacy of its collapse.

  3. Will Women Overthrow Europe’s Last Dictator?
    orenstein9_Natalia FedosenkoTASS via Getty Images_belaruselectiontsikhanouskaya Natalia Fedosenko/TASS via Getty Images

    Will Women Overthrow Europe’s Last Dictator?

    Aug 4, 2020 Mitchell A. Orenstein & Valery Yakubovich ask whether Aleksandr Lukashenko, Belarus’s first and only president since 1994, has finally met his match.

  4. Revolutions for Whom?
    ghodsee2_Spencer PlattGetty Images_romaniapovertydadchild Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Revolutions for Whom?

    Nov 1, 2019 Kristen Ghodsee & Mitchell A. Orenstein note that in many post-communist countries, GDP per capita remains below its level 30 years ago.

  5. The Russians Are Coming
    op_orenstein_2_GettyImages490751590 Getty Images

    The Russians Are Coming

    May 24, 2019 Mitchell A. Orenstein reviews three recent books on the origins and conduct of the Kremlin’s political war against the West.

  1. gul6_Hasan MradDeFodi Images via Getty Images_ghannouchi Hasan Mrad/De Fodi Images via Getty Images

    Rached Ghannouchi’s Plight Deserves More Attention

    Abdullah Gül decries the prosecution and imprisonment of Tunisia's widely respected avatar of Islamic democracy.
  2. okonjoiweala27_GIUSEPPE CACACEAFP via Getty Images_WTO13ministerialconference Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Images

    WTO Reform Is Everyone’s Responsibility

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

    The World Trade Organization’s most recent ministerial conference concluded with a few positive outcomes demonstrating that meaningful change is possible, though there were some disappointments. A successful agenda of reforms will require more members – particularly emerging markets and developing economies – to take the lead.

    writes that meaningful change will come only when members other than the US help steer the organization.
  3. bloomberg7_Chris HondrosGetty Images_UScaloriesmenu Chris Hondros/Getty Images

    What Can Stop the Shortening of American Lives?

    Michael R. Bloomberg shows how a loss of public trust in public-health professionals is undercutting US life expectancy.
  4. roach163_ROBERTO SCHMIDTAFP via Getty Images_mikegallagher Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

    American Sinophobia

    Stephen S. Roach warns that fear has driven US policymakers to level a litany of unsubstantiated charges against China.
  5. kabubomariara2_Gerald AndersonAnadolu Agency via Getty Images_motherkenya Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    Africa’s Prosperity Depends on Achieving Gender Equality

    Jane Kabubo-Mariara outlines steps policymakers can take to redistribute unpaid domestic work among households and communities.
  6. lacroix2_ Michael GonzalezGetty Images_texasUSflags Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images

    Texas and the Perpetual Crisis of American Federalism

    Alison L. LaCroix

    By asserting its right to pursue an immigration policy at odds with that of the US federal government, Texas is reviving a constitutional debate that recurred throughout the early nineteenth century, culminating in the Civil War. It is an ominous reminder that the perpetuation of the Union can never be taken for granted.

    highlights the constitutional threat posed by the state's attempt to impose its own immigration policy.
  7. james216_Dave Tschorn Dave Tschorn

    Europe’s High Noon

    Harold James worries that Western political leaders lack the will to take the risky decisions that security demands.
  8. alkuwari1_Getty Images_AI governance Getty Images

    A Breakthrough Opportunity for Global Governance

    Mubarak Al-Kuwari, et al. propose new international institutions to confront today’s AI-regulation and peacebuilding challenges.
  9. fubini11_Antonio MasielloGetty Images_meloni Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

    Why Is Europe Moving Rightward?

    Federico Fubini considers why nationalist parties are gaining ground in countries that renounced nationalism decades ago.

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