ABSTRACT
Did AIDS go out of control? In Russia 2010: And What it Means for the World, Daniel Yergin and Thane Gustafson described the devastating effect of a rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia. Before summarising the research findings, let us briefly return to this scenario which had marked the beginning of the investigation. In the nearly 20 years that followed the publication of Yergin and Gustafson’s book, HIV/AIDS in Russia has indeed turned into an epidemic of alarming proportions. The responsibility for this development lies with the Russian government, which during all those years has done far too little to effectively counter the spread of HIV/AIDS among its citizens. In 2010, the conditions for a constructive dialogue between civil society and the Russian state in the field of HIV/AIDS – regarded by many as a necessary precondition for developing effective prevention programmes – could hardly be worse. This becomes apparent when looking at international conferences devoted to the problem of HIV/AIDS in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
