Monologue for Two: Andrew Foxall

Dr Foxall is an academic to the fullest of this word. He provides wide explanation on the topic of the Magnitsky Act. He states that despite the high level of corruption within the country it is unlikely that the government would allow the theft of £230m from its own pocket. He further highlights that Magnitsky Act would not benefit British situation, however it would be sensible to adopt some sort of legislation in his name, if not to praise, then at least to commemorate his actions.

Irina Boeva & Daniella Koliada

What is interesting is that Dr Foxall recognises both Mr Putin’s and Mr Lukashenko’s absolute power thus making it unnecessary for them to actually buy power. Their power is obviously attached to yachts, houses and jets, oil and gas firms, yet if they want something, they can just take it. Andrew then highlights that if Mr Putin is not corrupted himself, he created a grotesque corruption system around the country that was not seen since the time of the tsar’s. It is evident that people who hold around 80% of Russia’s wealth made their money during the time of Putin’s reign. In conclusion Dr Foxall explains Mr Lukashenko’s manipulation in his position between Russia and EU via his use of leverage of the Minsk agreements.

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Dr Andrew Foxall is Director of the Russia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society. Andrew holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Plymouth, an MSc from the University of Birmingham, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford in which he also held academic positions. Apart from University of Oxford he also held academic positions in the prestigious Queen’s University Belfast.

Andrew is an author of various academic articles and forthcoming book, Ethnic Relations in the Post-Soviet Russia: Russians and Non-Russians in the North Caucasus (Rutledge; London and New York). From this we can gather that Andrew’s research mainly focuses on economic, political and security trends in Russia and the Former Soviet Union. He is a frequent contributor to FT.com’s ‘beyondbrics’ blog and Foreign Policy, and has written for publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Forbes, and The Moscow Times as well as several other journals and newspapers. Andrew has had his commentary carried in The Washington Post, The Daily Telegraph, The Observer and elsewhere. He regularly appears in international media outlets, including the BBC, CNBC, CNN, and Sky News.

About Monologue for Two

An inspiring short film interview series spanning generations and cross-pollinating subjects, brought to you by 16 year old Daniella Kaliada who explains, “I'm 16 years old and I am a political refugee in the UK. Four years ago I was smuggled out of Belarus with my parents during the dictatorship’s deadly election crackdown. Living in London, I finally discovered freedom and have come to understand that it is multifaceted. In this interview series I ask luminaries in their field, how they came to do what they do and advice they can give my generation. As I approach leaving school and getting on in the world, I seek to understand the lessons learned by previous generations and the wisdom they can pass on.”