RUSOLOGY AND THE DECLINE OF HONEST DEBATE - By Gordon M. Hahn

Recent writings by Russian analysts display a worrying trend of falsification and distortion and an overall degeneration of what might be called “Rusology” or the study and analysis of Russian politics, economics, society, and culture. Recent distortions go beyond a ‘mere’ misrepresentation of the facts on the ground in Russia. Rather, we see attempts by some politicized analysts to misrepresent the articles of those with whom they have disagreements. This devolution represents a larger intellectual dishonesty in current political discourse wherein reasoned, fact-based argumentation is replaced by inexact or even non-existent sourcing in one’s own work.
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