Author
Alexei Bayer
Senior Editor, The Globalist
[United States]
Alexei Bayer analyzes international capital markets, political risk and emerging market economies. He particularly focuses on Russia and Eastern Europe.
Mr. Bayer previously served as senior financial markets economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit and worked at Standard & Poor’s, serving as managing editor of CreditWire, an electronic bond rating service.
Born in Russia, Mr. Bayer has contributed to the op-ed pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Financial Times. He is also a columnist for the independent Russian business newspaper, Vedomosti. His debut novel, Murder at the Dacha, a mystery set in 1960s Moscow, was published in May 2013.
Articles by Alexei Bayer
Why Brexit Has Been Good for Ukraine
Russia’s war against Ukraine provided Boris Johnson with a unique opportunity to highlight Britain’s international leadership credentials.
May 16, 2022
Will Putin Put Down the Kazakh Spring?
Why the popular uprising against corrupt national elites in oil-rich Kazakhstan has Putin and Russia so nervous.
January 7, 2022
Closing Memorial: Putin’s Blueprint for U.S. Republicans
How the closure of the Memorial in Russia is a template for the kind of society Republicans want to build in the U.S.
January 5, 2022
When Mob Rule Comes to the United States of America
The parallels between the Leninist power usurpation in early 20th century Russia and the Trumpian brigades in today’s United States are becoming ever more eerie.
November 8, 2021
Inequality à la San Francisco: A Warning for America’s Future
Karl Marx and the dark side of the tech revolution
May 27, 2021
Biden: Appeasing Putin?
Putin’s little PR bluster games shows how much Russia has declined in the global league tables of geopolitical relevance. Why Joe Biden won’t take Putin’s bait.
April 24, 2021
Bernie Madoff and the Fed: American Pyramid Builders
The U.S. Federal Reserve has been building a pyramid that is similar to Madoff’s — but on a massive, global scale.
April 23, 2021
The US Republicans’ Putin-Style “Managed” Democracy
Yet more evidence that US Republicans are close soul mates of Russia’s President when it comes to restraining democracy.
March 15, 2021
US Republicans: Putin’s Party?
In 2020, the Republicans are in the process of transforming themselves into the U.S. equivalent of Putin’s United Russia Party.
December 15, 2020
Putin and the Slow-Burn US Civil War
An overly lengthy transition period can be highly destabilizing even in the U.S. -- a nation that deems itself a mature democracy.
November 19, 2020
Putin’s Russia Is Like Brezhnev’s USSR: Will the End Be the Same?
After 20 years in power, Putin’s balance sheet is weak. Considering Russia strong is a serious misreading of its real situation at home and abroad.
September 4, 2020
Donald Lukashenko: Amazing Parallels Between Belarus and the US
Under Trump, the United States -- despite 250 years of self-government -- may get dangerously close to how Europe’s last dictator has operated in Belarus.
August 17, 2020
Putin’s 2020 Russia and Vladimir Voynovich’s “Moscow 2042”
Has Putin’s Russia of 2020 been foreshadowed by Russian novels, in a mixture of wicked satire and genuine tragedy?
July 2, 2020
Trump and Musk: Two Unstable Geniuses Compared
Recognizing what constitutes reality is a minimum job requirement for any leader. While Donald Trump often appears delusional, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is so only part of the time.
May 11, 2020
Next After COVID: A Computer Pandemic?
The coronavirus-induced shift to more digital life highlights a new source of significant worry: Computers are also very susceptible to infections by viruses.
May 3, 2020
How COVID 19 Hits Bad Governments
COVID 19 is especially dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions. It also strikes countries with pre-existing bad governments with particular severity.
April 7, 2020
Science and World Power
For centuries, scientific and technological prowess -- or lack thereof -- is what has separated global winners and losers.
March 28, 2020
What is the Real Base of US Global Power?
The U.S. is a global leader in a large measure because of its prowess in science and technology.
March 28, 2020
When Brezhnev Comes to America: Gerontocracy in Action
Today’s U.S. Republicans are the equivalent of the Brezhnev crew in the late-stage Soviet Union. It, too, fought very hard to uphold political ideas decades after they had passed their sell by date.
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus and Political Leadership: The US Gerontocracy in Action
The age structure of the U.S. political leadership cannot be described by any other word than as a gerontocracy. This conjures up images of the late-stage Soviet Union.
March 17, 2020
(In)Famous Western Alliances with the Soviet Union/Russia
Soviet Communists and the Nazis collaborated in the 1930s. Why on earth is Trump’s America now pursuing another shameful alliance with an utterly anti-liberal force?
December 21, 2019
After Gallagher: The Pentagon Faces a Big Purge
Trump clearly wants to set enlisted men against their commanders. He wants them loyal not to the Constitution, but to himself personally.
November 27, 2019
How Donald Trump Is Losing the Trade War
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Trump is not so much fighting China on trade as turning the U.S. into China.
May 31, 2019
Trump’s Wall and Israel’s Wall: Unpleasant Parallels and Consequences
America’s border wall with Mexico is meant to keep illegal immigrants, crime and drugs out. It will only succeed in keeping Americans in.
February 8, 2019
Welcome to a New Kind of War
Russia is indeed at war with the Western alliance, one that it has unilaterally unleashed.
September 1, 2018
Trump Vs. the Koch Brothers
Are the Koch brothers going to be devoured by the very same radical forces on the right-wing of Republican politics that they helped spawn?
August 7, 2018
US: Government by the Military?
Is the role of the Pentagon and its former brass under Trump similar to the former KGB in post-Soviet Russia?
October 27, 2017
The Other Twin Towers: Trump and Wall Street
Donald Trump and Wall Street are both at big-time bubble stage. When they come crashing down, that could deal a severe blow to the entire world.
September 26, 2017
Vladimir Putin: The Antithesis of a Success Story
The annexation of Crimea may remain Putin’s only success in his Cold War against the United States.
March 18, 2015
Chelsea and Beyond: How the Rich Will Destroy Soccer
The excess of capital pouring into professional soccer will inevitably bring about its demise.
October 25, 2014
China Loves a Weaker Russia
Why may China want to support Ukraine - even if it means quarrelling with Putin?
September 16, 2014
Ukraine’s China Option
Should Poroshenko visit Beijing, as Richard Nixon once did?
September 2, 2014
What Stock Markets Tell Us About Russia
If economy is king, then Russia may be weaker than it seems.
August 18, 2014
Vodka: Market Riches After Communism
What role did vodka play in restructuring Russia's economy after communism?
August 3, 2014
Vodka: Sobering Up the USSR
How did restrictions on vodka consumption speed up the collapse of communism?
August 2, 2014
Russia Through the Vodka Glass
Can Russia's recent history be explained through a vodka glass?
August 1, 2014
The Bolshevik Roots of the U.S. Tea Party
America’s Red Dawn, via the Republican Party.
June 1, 2014
Crimea: What Could Have Been
Vasily Aksenov’s 1979 utopian novel “The Island of Crimea” in today’s context
March 16, 2014
Advantage China: Putin’s Dangerous Crimea Precedent
Putin's intervention in Crimea re-opens the door to territorial China's claims on Russia
March 16, 2014
Russia and China: Who’s the Boss in the Relationship Now?
While China performs as a responsible part of the global economy, Russia revels in its pariah status.
March 14, 2014
Ukraine and Ireland: Overcoming Mighty Neighbors
What do Ukraine and Ireland have in common, in their struggles with Russia and the UK?
February 8, 2014
Liberty Vs. Safety: A False Choice
Why respecting rights and operating accountably makes security agencies more effective.
January 6, 2014
A Modest Proposal to Save Detroit
Why not create a national park in Detroit dedicated to unbridled free-market policies?
November 24, 2013
Wall Street Wants the Fed to Save it From Itself
When BlackRock talks, people should be listening.
October 31, 2013
The Russia Putin Grew Up In
A work of fiction, Murder at the Dacha, portrays a Russia of the past — and the present.
October 20, 2013
Pope Francis Vs. Putin
Who can U.S. archconservatives now rely on to defend traditional values?
September 21, 2013
Russia and Egypt: Stunning Parallels
A key comparison on the global relevance of the slow-motion Arab Spring.
September 11, 2013
1913-2013: How Russia Botched an Entire Century
Could Russia have been as successful as the United States?
September 5, 2013
Why Brexit Has Been Good for Ukraine
Russia’s war against Ukraine provided Boris Johnson with a unique opportunity to highlight Britain’s international leadership credentials.
May 16, 2022
Will Putin Put Down the Kazakh Spring?
Why the popular uprising against corrupt national elites in oil-rich Kazakhstan has Putin and Russia so nervous.
January 7, 2022
Closing Memorial: Putin’s Blueprint for U.S. Republicans
How the closure of the Memorial in Russia is a template for the kind of society Republicans want to build in the U.S.
January 5, 2022
When Mob Rule Comes to the United States of America
The parallels between the Leninist power usurpation in early 20th century Russia and the Trumpian brigades in today’s United States are becoming ever more eerie.
November 8, 2021
Inequality à la San Francisco: A Warning for America’s Future
Karl Marx and the dark side of the tech revolution
May 27, 2021
Biden: Appeasing Putin?
Putin’s little PR bluster games shows how much Russia has declined in the global league tables of geopolitical relevance. Why Joe Biden won’t take Putin’s bait.
April 24, 2021
Bernie Madoff and the Fed: American Pyramid Builders
The U.S. Federal Reserve has been building a pyramid that is similar to Madoff’s — but on a massive, global scale.
April 23, 2021
The US Republicans’ Putin-Style “Managed” Democracy
Yet more evidence that US Republicans are close soul mates of Russia’s President when it comes to restraining democracy.
March 15, 2021
US Republicans: Putin’s Party?
In 2020, the Republicans are in the process of transforming themselves into the U.S. equivalent of Putin’s United Russia Party.
December 15, 2020
Putin and the Slow-Burn US Civil War
An overly lengthy transition period can be highly destabilizing even in the U.S. -- a nation that deems itself a mature democracy.
November 19, 2020
Putin’s Russia Is Like Brezhnev’s USSR: Will the End Be the Same?
After 20 years in power, Putin’s balance sheet is weak. Considering Russia strong is a serious misreading of its real situation at home and abroad.
September 4, 2020
Donald Lukashenko: Amazing Parallels Between Belarus and the US
Under Trump, the United States -- despite 250 years of self-government -- may get dangerously close to how Europe’s last dictator has operated in Belarus.
August 17, 2020
Putin’s 2020 Russia and Vladimir Voynovich’s “Moscow 2042”
Has Putin’s Russia of 2020 been foreshadowed by Russian novels, in a mixture of wicked satire and genuine tragedy?
July 2, 2020
Trump and Musk: Two Unstable Geniuses Compared
Recognizing what constitutes reality is a minimum job requirement for any leader. While Donald Trump often appears delusional, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is so only part of the time.
May 11, 2020
Next After COVID: A Computer Pandemic?
The coronavirus-induced shift to more digital life highlights a new source of significant worry: Computers are also very susceptible to infections by viruses.
May 3, 2020
How COVID 19 Hits Bad Governments
COVID 19 is especially dangerous for people with pre-existing conditions. It also strikes countries with pre-existing bad governments with particular severity.
April 7, 2020
Science and World Power
For centuries, scientific and technological prowess -- or lack thereof -- is what has separated global winners and losers.
March 28, 2020
What is the Real Base of US Global Power?
The U.S. is a global leader in a large measure because of its prowess in science and technology.
March 28, 2020
When Brezhnev Comes to America: Gerontocracy in Action
Today’s U.S. Republicans are the equivalent of the Brezhnev crew in the late-stage Soviet Union. It, too, fought very hard to uphold political ideas decades after they had passed their sell by date.
March 17, 2020
Coronavirus and Political Leadership: The US Gerontocracy in Action
The age structure of the U.S. political leadership cannot be described by any other word than as a gerontocracy. This conjures up images of the late-stage Soviet Union.
March 17, 2020
(In)Famous Western Alliances with the Soviet Union/Russia
Soviet Communists and the Nazis collaborated in the 1930s. Why on earth is Trump’s America now pursuing another shameful alliance with an utterly anti-liberal force?
December 21, 2019
After Gallagher: The Pentagon Faces a Big Purge
Trump clearly wants to set enlisted men against their commanders. He wants them loyal not to the Constitution, but to himself personally.
November 27, 2019
How Donald Trump Is Losing the Trade War
Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Trump is not so much fighting China on trade as turning the U.S. into China.
May 31, 2019
Trump’s Wall and Israel’s Wall: Unpleasant Parallels and Consequences
America’s border wall with Mexico is meant to keep illegal immigrants, crime and drugs out. It will only succeed in keeping Americans in.
February 8, 2019
Welcome to a New Kind of War
Russia is indeed at war with the Western alliance, one that it has unilaterally unleashed.
September 1, 2018
Trump Vs. the Koch Brothers
Are the Koch brothers going to be devoured by the very same radical forces on the right-wing of Republican politics that they helped spawn?
August 7, 2018
US: Government by the Military?
Is the role of the Pentagon and its former brass under Trump similar to the former KGB in post-Soviet Russia?
October 27, 2017
The Other Twin Towers: Trump and Wall Street
Donald Trump and Wall Street are both at big-time bubble stage. When they come crashing down, that could deal a severe blow to the entire world.
September 26, 2017
Vladimir Putin: The Antithesis of a Success Story
The annexation of Crimea may remain Putin’s only success in his Cold War against the United States.
March 18, 2015
Chelsea and Beyond: How the Rich Will Destroy Soccer
The excess of capital pouring into professional soccer will inevitably bring about its demise.
October 25, 2014
China Loves a Weaker Russia
Why may China want to support Ukraine - even if it means quarrelling with Putin?
September 16, 2014
Ukraine’s China Option
Should Poroshenko visit Beijing, as Richard Nixon once did?
September 2, 2014
What Stock Markets Tell Us About Russia
If economy is king, then Russia may be weaker than it seems.
August 18, 2014
Vodka: Market Riches After Communism
What role did vodka play in restructuring Russia's economy after communism?
August 3, 2014
Vodka: Sobering Up the USSR
How did restrictions on vodka consumption speed up the collapse of communism?
August 2, 2014
Russia Through the Vodka Glass
Can Russia's recent history be explained through a vodka glass?
August 1, 2014
The Bolshevik Roots of the U.S. Tea Party
America’s Red Dawn, via the Republican Party.
June 1, 2014
Crimea: What Could Have Been
Vasily Aksenov’s 1979 utopian novel “The Island of Crimea” in today’s context
March 16, 2014
Advantage China: Putin’s Dangerous Crimea Precedent
Putin's intervention in Crimea re-opens the door to territorial China's claims on Russia
March 16, 2014
Russia and China: Who’s the Boss in the Relationship Now?
While China performs as a responsible part of the global economy, Russia revels in its pariah status.
March 14, 2014
Ukraine and Ireland: Overcoming Mighty Neighbors
What do Ukraine and Ireland have in common, in their struggles with Russia and the UK?
February 8, 2014
Liberty Vs. Safety: A False Choice
Why respecting rights and operating accountably makes security agencies more effective.
January 6, 2014
A Modest Proposal to Save Detroit
Why not create a national park in Detroit dedicated to unbridled free-market policies?
November 24, 2013
Wall Street Wants the Fed to Save it From Itself
When BlackRock talks, people should be listening.
October 31, 2013
The Russia Putin Grew Up In
A work of fiction, Murder at the Dacha, portrays a Russia of the past — and the present.
October 20, 2013
Pope Francis Vs. Putin
Who can U.S. archconservatives now rely on to defend traditional values?
September 21, 2013
Russia and Egypt: Stunning Parallels
A key comparison on the global relevance of the slow-motion Arab Spring.
September 11, 2013
1913-2013: How Russia Botched an Entire Century
Could Russia have been as successful as the United States?
September 5, 2013