family photo n.— «What, for instance, had Russian President Vladimir Putin so engaged on his cell phone as the leaders strode onto the resort’s lush lawn overlooking the sea for what’s known as the “family photo?” The same for...
swimmer n.— «In Australia, Russian and Chinese swimmers were second and third in the medals table, at the time of writing—a marked improvement on last year. These countries are also producing more “swimmers” in capital markets, where it...
Vitalyation n.— «Churkin’s angry reactions to diplomatic affronts have become so common that some U.N. diplomats have invented a word to describe it: Vitalyation (rhymes with “retaliation”). But the former Soviet official has...
gas and go n.— «President Bush spent 90 minutes with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Moscow airport during what is commonly called a “gas and go.” The Presidents made no statements, but their body language was warm...
GUAM n.— «Georgia’s parliament Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze called on lawmakers from Azerbaijan, Moldova and Ukraine—a grouping known by its acronym GUAM—to agree on a joint statement on current tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi which...
tartan noir n.— «Scottish detective fiction, or Tartan Noir as it’s called, with its brooding sensibility, brutal humor and fixation on the nature of guilt and punishment, has more in common with the Russian novel than it does with...