Russia

A Very Merry Red Square
“I wanted to experience Red Square in all of its intrigue and glory,” writes Bobby Rahe,” then my six-year-old daughter spotted the carousel.”

The Case for Russian Travel
“Russians,” writes Dave Hayton, “will bless your childrena��s children with the same passion they curse your president. But if you can swallow your taboos and slough off the political criticism, you will gain a lifelong friend.”

A Stranger in the Ural Mountains
Bobby Rahe follows a Bashkir legend across Bashkortostan: “We were passing from Europe into Asia. Most of the folks working at the roadside stops had lived there for generations. I was a foreigner, just as I was in Ufa. But I was in good company.”

Derbent, Gateway to Peace
Dave Hayton asks whether Derbent, a multi-ethnic city in southern Dagestan could provide a model for peace in the Middle East.

Not Your Typical Godfather
Dave Hayton on one Dagestani man’s quest to fight terrorism and unemployment one investment at a time: “Hizria��s resolve to stay in Makhachkala remains a costly one. But a sense of duty keeps him here.”

6 Reasons to Celebrate Sochi
There may be no better place, writes Dave Hayton, for the world’s athletes to converge: “Should not the message of the Olympics be that you don’t have to be a Paris or a Los Angeles to host the games?”