A little late I know, but I can’t let my first Russian language magazine article pass without mention. Last month, I wrote a series of articles for Vox Populi, a new Kazakh magazine that is positioning itself as the Russian Economist. The articles were focused on the US presidential race and what the election of John McCain or Barack Obama would mean for American foreign policy and energy policy in the former Soviet Union and Central Asia. Before you get too impressed, I wrote the stories in English and they were translated by the magazine.

I interviewed a handful of Russia and Central Asia specialists, who seemed largely to agree that while McCain had much greater knowledge and experience of the region, his outright hostility towards Russia threatened to do more harm than good to American interests in the region. Obama, while obviously less experienced, appeared to be tacking in the right direction by turning for advice to people like Michael McFaul, a democracy hand from Stanford Univeristy, who is perceived as having a firm yet nuanced view of the region.

One of the most fascinating insights came from Steve LeVine, a Russia and Central Asia specialist for BusinessWeek, who pointed out that following its August invasion of Georgia, Russia appeared all-powerful in the region. But the economic shock of September/October and rapidly falling oil prices had swung the balance of power back in America’s—and Europe’s—favor.

LeVine is author of what looks like a fascinating book about the Central Asian oil industry, called The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea. If you’re interested, there’s a video of his Authors@Google talk on the subject last year on YouTube.

I’ve always said that British journalism is the best in the world. Finally, a video to prove it. (Not entirely safe for work.)

UK Reporter Drunk on Hope (Gawker)

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To See How Empty Lives Are

(Via Mimi)

How do you persuade the elegant trustees of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, including the society doyenne Brooke Astor, to buy a painting of a 225lbs naked man? According to Met director Philippe de Montebello, Mrs Astor went “from green to purple to ashen” when he set Lucian Freud’s Naked Man, Back View before her. But after almost an hour staring at the painting she realized that what had at first seemed a “disgusting massive mound of flesh” was in fact “an ugly subject turned into a beautiful picture.”

The anecdote is one of many insightful and funny tales in the audio production that accompanies The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions, currently on show at the Met. As some EiNY readers already know, my wife Sofie produces most of the audio tours for the Met. And though I have not had a chance to see the exhibition yet, I know from many conversations over the past few months that this is one of the most rewarding tours she has produced in recent months.

As its name suggests, the show is a retrospective of works acquired during Philippe de Montebello’s 31 years at the museum. And it has been timed to coincide with his departure at the end of the year. What I find so interesting about this show, and particularly the audio production, is that it focuses not just on the significance of the works, but on the behind-the-scenes tales of how and why they were acquired.

As anyone who has taken a tour at the Met knows, Philippe de Montebello has a soothing baritone that is made for radio. And his discussions with the Met’s curators give a real insight into the process behind acquisitions. Indeed, there was so much great material that the podcast which accompanies the show, and which the above anecdote is taken from, easily stands on its own.

The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions (Audio extras)