The Coup in Ukraine

This about Politics, tagged , , , , was written by for on February 6, 2014 .23 Comments

In my last Sitrep I said that the West was trying to pull off a coup in Ukraine against the duly elected President. We now have very strong evidence in the shape of an intercepted phone call between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. They talk about how […]

Today’s Redundant Rant. Tiresome, Too. But I Amuse Myself.

This about Politics, tagged , , was written by for on February 6, 2014 .4 Comments

Got this in the mail from Jamestown. My response. Not that I expect much of an answer.  What a load of crap! Saakashvili, the as-yet-unindicted-former,-but-now-despised,-boss-of-Georgia (saved and given a comfortable retirement in the USA. His creator.) is going to feed us more lies. Wah hoo! I so want to be there to hear him emit […]

Ukraine’s Turn to the East: A Geopolitical Accident

This about Politics, tagged , , , was written by for on November 24, 2013 .52 Comments

“Imperialist Putin “Steals” Ukraine”… If only all those hysterical newspaper articles were true! In reality, the only thing he stole was Ukraine’s credit card debt. He’s no idiot, of course, and is in no rush to pay it off. The drama certainly hasn’t ended. But a geopolitical pivot on the model of Khmelnitsky’s 1654 decision this […]

What is Ukraine’s Game Plan?

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on September 27, 2013 .106 Comments

Even a few months ago, it looked as if Ukraine had taken a significant step towards Eurasian integration by signing up as an observer to the Customs Union between Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. However, in the past month, evidence is emerging that it was but a temporary ploy to appease Russia while in reality speeding […]

Translation: Ukraine and Its Monsters

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on September 22, 2013 .No Comments

Regnum reports on statements made by Ukraine’s President, Victor Yanukovych, in which he visualizes Ukraine becoming a link between the East and the West as a result of an impending trade deal with the European Union. Yanukovych: Russia and the EU are giant monsters “and we feel it every day” Victor Yanukovych, the President of […]

Translation: The G20 and the Ghosts of Progress

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , was written by for on September 10, 2013 .No Comments

In this op-ed piece posted on Lenta, Anton Klyuchkin analyzes the effects of recent Kremlin decisions, admonishing their results for pushing the country away from the West.  Looking past the rhetoric, however, a better picture of the retaliatory nature of Russian-American relations comes into view, one in which both sides seem determined to antagonize the […]

Timeline of the Runup to an Illegal War

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , was written by for on August 27, 2013 .1 Comment

Repost of Alexander Mercouris’ comments at Mark Chapman’s blog and The Russia Debate forum. The original compilation is posted at Mercouris’ blog. PS. Originally, this space hosted just one of Mercouris’ comments. Now that he has taken the trouble to gather up his output, the least I could do is update it and try to ensure […]

Corruption, The American Way

This about Society, tagged , , , was written by for on July 13, 2013 .6 Comments

So apparently an Ambassadorship costs $1.8 million per post in the US. In virtually any other country, even where the situation with corruption is quite dismal, such arrangements would be seen as unquestionably corrupt. And yet the US scores an entirely respectable 73/100 in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), leagues above say Italy which gets […]

Lessons From The Snowden Affair

This , about Politics, tagged , , , , , , was written by for on July 7, 2013 .21 Comments

(1) Just as with Manning, it is beyond dispute that Snowden broke US law. As such, the US government is perfectly entitled to try to apprehend him (on its own soil), request his extradition, and prosecute him. This is quite perpendicular to whether Snowden’s leaks were morally “justified” or not. In some sense, they were. […]

No Use Crying Over Leaked Milk – Let Alone Threatening Sanctions Over It

This about Geopolitics, tagged , , , , , was written by for , on July 1, 2013 .11 Comments

My latest for Experts Panel/Voice of Russia: The Panel states, “On future occasions, Russia might well require Washington to cooperate in similar circumstances; and if such is the case, its handling of the Snowden affair could prove decisive as to how Washington chooses to respond.” Well, let’s imagine this scenario. One fine day, an FSB […]

Russia Needs To Develop Its “Hard” Soft Power

This , about Geopolitics, tagged , , was written by for , on May 28, 2013 .6 Comments

My latest for VoR/US-Russia Experts panel: I think we have to make a distinction here between “soft” soft power and “hard” soft power. The US’ “soft” soft power is, of course, overwhelming. By “soft” soft power, I mean its accumulated cultural capital: The popularity of the English language, Hollywood, the Ivy League, Apple and American […]

The West Made Its Bed, Now Russia Will Lie In China’s

This about Economy, tagged , , , , was written by for , on April 11, 2013 .10 Comments

The latest US-Russia.org Experts Panel discussion was about Russia’s burgeoning partnership with China. I especially recommend Mercouris’ contribution which – although unfortunately titled by VoR’s editorial staff)) – is otherwise quite brilliant. My own effort follows below: First of all, let me preface that I’m one of the biggest China bulls around. Its economy in real […]