It's Time to Worry About Russian Nationalism

I’m usually more optimistic than most Westerners when it comes to Russia. This is not because I’m enamored with Russia’s current political institutions, but primarily because I write a lot about seemingly dry and boring topics, like health and demography, where things have improved quite substantially over the past thirteen years. In terms of its population trends, Russia’s actual performance since 2000 has consistently exceeded even the rosiest predictions. In other words, it’s usually difficult for me to square the virtually universal pessimism about the country with rapid improvement in basic indicators like life expectancy and fertility. But there are obviously dark sides to contemporary Russia, and the problems associated with mass migration (and the nationalist backlash that it has inspired) are close to the top of the list.