Articles — The Revealer

Solidarity and Separation: Religious Spirit and the Euromaidan

April 8, 2014

By Irina Papkova. During protests in Ukraine, a show of solidarity belied the divided nature of the country’s...

From Antelias to Bzoummar

November 6, 2013

Irina Papkova takes us on a tour of the religious centers that lie at the heart of Lebanon's Armenian...

Believing in Russia

September 4, 2013

Irina Papkova reviews Geraldine Fagan's "Believing in Russia - Religious Policy After Communism"

Secular Lebanon

April 22, 2013

From Beirut, Irina Papkova reports on an anti-sectarian movement for a more secular Lebanon, and a marriage that's...

Relationship Drama: Russia's Church-State Affairs

March 28, 2013

The Russian Orthodox Church is a privileged institution very much at the forefront of Russian life, with a well-developed...

Syria: Stronghold of Secularism? Part Two.

February 11, 2013

In the second of two posts, Irina Papkova, explores Bashar al-Assads assertion that Syria is the "last stronghold of...

Syria: Stronghold of Secularism?

January 11, 2013

Secularism has been a central part of dominant Syrian ideology since at least the 1960s, writes Irina Papkova, but...

Lebanon: War, Peace and Pluralism, Part 2

November 8, 2012

From Beirut, Irina Papkova describes in the second of two posts how former political opponents are maintaining Lebanon's fragile...

Lebanon: War, Peace and Pluralism

November 6, 2012

"The relationship between Lebanon and Syria is intricate and complicated, and the chaos in Syria presents serious challenges for...

Punk Protest, Bad Video Art, and "Religious Insult"

September 27, 2012

by Irina Papkova there's an eerie similarity between the reaction of some Orthodox believers to Pussy Riot and the...

Balancing Act: Sectarian Leaders in Lebanon

July 25, 2012

by Irina Papkova Last week marked twenty-two years since the signing of the Taif Accords put an end...

In the Shadows of Syria: Defusing Sectarian Tensions in Lebanon

June 25, 2012

by Irina Papkova For two weeks, Lebanon lived on the knife edge of a sectarian civil war. And here...

Feature

Rolling the Dice: The Orthodox Church's "Bet" on Putin

April 26, 2012

by Irina Papkova The recent Russian elections have highlighted the complicated relationship between the Orthodox Church with both state...

Review

Riot in the Cathedral

March 30, 2012

A review of The Orthodox Church and Russian Politics, by Irina Papkova. Oxford University Press, 2011. By Sean Guillory In late February,...