Author

John Chrobak

John is a U2 student from Montreal doing a double major in Political Science and Philosophy with a minor in Russian Language. He is interested in Central & Eastern European and Post-Soviet Politics, American Politics, and the structure and functionality of democracies and their electoral systems.

What Happened to Competition in Russia?

John Chrobak Mar 31, 2017

"Competitive authoritarian regimes competitive, in that democratic institutions are not merely a façade: opposition parties use them to seriously contest for power; but they are authoritarian in that opposition forces are handicapped by a…
Read More...

Miloš Zeman: Pushing Czech Foreign Policy East

John Chrobak Nov 5, 2016

October 28th marked 98 years since the founding of Czechoslovakia. A national holiday in the Czech Republic, the day provides an opportune moment for reflecting on the plethora of social and political changes that have marked the country…
Read More...

Avoiding the Second Cold War

John Chrobak Mar 18, 2016

On Monday, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would begin withdrawing select parts of its forces from Syria. This announcement, which comes in tangent with the news of closer Russian-American cooperation in Syria to…
Read More...

The Hidden Battle the Democrats are Losing

John Chrobak Feb 16, 2016

As the 2016 presidential election slowly approaches, more heads turn to pay attention to what is likely the most entertaining political event currently occurring. Things have certainly heated up in recent days as the Democratic primary race…
Read More...

Personality Cults and Democracy: Is Putin’s Cult of Personality a Concern

John Chrobak Nov 7, 2015

Last month Vladimir Putin celebrated his 68th birthday. The Russian leader celebrated the day by scoring goals in a hockey match against former professional players in which he won 15-10 and was subsequently awarded a trophy for the victory…
Read More...

Anti-establishmentarianism and American Politics: The Rise of the “Anti-Party”…

John Chrobak Oct 8, 2015

As the 2016 American Electoral campaign builds up speed, a curious trend has developed in the primary races in both of the major parties. To be sure, it is still very early to begin talking of any significant outcomes of the coming…
Read More...