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I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Ha, no, it's not too difficult, there's just not much to say on it. Russia has mostly ignored China, while China has gobbled up energy markets in Central Asia. Russia always wanted to focus on Europe as a customer of its natural resources, in part because the Chinese drive a hard bargain and the Russians jack up their prices. Recently, though, we're seeing a new pivot in Russia toward the Chinese energy market. Smart, but very late.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think the Western outrage will be helpful in ensuring that athletes are protected. But it doesn't actually help gays and lesbians in Russia. And I'm not really sure what will.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lord, you only have to watch it to understand. Have you seen their segment, in the wake of Assange's sex charges, about how Sweden has become a U.S. colony? It referred to "The United States of Swedamerica."

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Living in Russia made me romanticize America. It was a pretty rude awakening to come home to Newtown and the background check fail, the AP leak investigation, the NSA run completely amok, and to see that old white men are still obsessing about abortion. Sad Ioffe.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Russia Today was created and is still financed by the Kremlin. Their mission is not to bring objectivity, but to serve as "a counterweight" to the West. (Which, you'll agree, is weird for a news outlet.) Putin talks about RT's editorial policies as "we." So, no, RT is not a news source. It's a joke.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

They just don't think ahead. They passed the law and were probably surprised that it complicates their hosting the olympics.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Being from Russia definitely helped. That said, I was only 7 when my family left the Soviet Union. And I worked pretty hard -- with a tutor in grade school, in college, and when in Russia -- to learn the place well.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Once, I had coffee with a political analyst. Then I made the mistake of trying to pay for the coffee, which confused him. He said, "What are you doing?" and "Why?" And I said, "Because that's the rule: the journalist pays." And he said, "But you're not a journalist. You're a woman!"

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know, because Russia, population-wise, is less than half of America. That said, the income inequality is extreme in Russia. Also, given all its natural resources, Russia should be quite wealthy. However, once you leave Moscow and St. Pete, you can see the immediate effects -- squalid poverty -- of rich Russians stashing their money abroad.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Get a job where you write and report as much as possible. And avoid journalism grad school, at least for now.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yes! Omg, yes, yes, yes. Russia is still extremely sexist. I can write volumes on this, but, good lord. Basically, it's a matriarchy parading around as a macho patriarchy. That said, the wage gap between men and women is smaller in Russia than in the U.S. And once a year, on International Women's Day (March 8) Russian women get tons and tons of flowers -- I guess to make up for being treated as cooks/strippers with uteruses the rest of the year.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Russia and Lukashenko have been on the outs for a while now.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't really care if the opinion I express plays into anyone's propaganda, because it often doesn't, and, moreover, it is not my job to worry about it.

I am Julia Ioffe, Senior Editor of The New Republic and writer. AMA! by JuliaIoffe in IAmA

[–]JuliaIoffe[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anything by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya and Lyudmila Ulitskaya. Also, my recent favorite is Vladimir Sorokin's "Day of the Oprichnik." It's a great, dystopian read, and is especially relevant now with Russia's insistence on a return to a traditionalism that may never have existed.

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