In “The Dying Russians”, Masha Gessen sets out to piece together the puzzle of unusual death rates in Russia following the downfall of the Soviet Union. Gessen’s ability to understand Russia’s mortality crisis is an example of the enlightening nature that the relationship between “good journalism” and social science can create. Whereas others studying this Russian phenomenon had taken a quantitative approach, Gessen utilized the thick description of the situation in looking more qualitatively at the issue.  The article looks to understand this crisis by analyzing explicit patterns of cultural and social relationships and putting them in the context of the situation. Gessen studies the way in which certain political structures alter and shape a society’s culture. As explained in the article, within the communist nature of the Soviet Union, Russians felt a sense of belonging and meaning. Using the third dimensional method of power, the Soviet Union successfully manipulated it’s people into a mindset of equality even though behind closed doors and tall fences it was quite the opposite. This surprised me when I first read it. When learning about manipulation in political systems, I initially perceived these methods as crippling and oppressive, however, after reading this article it gave me new perspective on how the third dimensional approach can actually foster a sense of community and purpose amongst despair. Gessen uses both empirical and cultural approaches to understand why Russians are dying off at a higher rate. Whereas this approach may not have been as accurate or exact as the statistical approaches mentioned in the article, it does provide a more contextual basis of analysis that is helpful in understanding the issue an its roots. However, I believe it is important to consider analyzing complex cultural and political problems in a well rounded view rather that in an absolute fashion because figures are important to understand patterns yet context is equally important in explaining these patterns.