eastwestaccord

One can only pity the professional doomsayers for the shortage of really inspiring stories as they try—for the umpteenth time—to sell the idea that Ukraine should suffer for just a little while longer in hopes of Russian collapse.

Why wasn’t Russia deterred from attacking Ukraine? After all, Russia did not have a large and finely tuned army, and the West had gone to substantial lengths to arm and train the Ukrainian army between February 2014 and February 2022. This was not a case of Bambi versus Godzilla. So, why did conventional deterrence fail in this case?

The role of small countries—that through their geopolitical irresponsibility can wreck great damage to the world—tends to pass under the radar.

Historian and Russia expert Prof. Geoffrey Roberts was a guest on Prof. Dr. Hasan Ünal’s Strategic Compass program on the Harici YouTube channel.

Diane Abbott has been subjected to ferocious attacks on her character for claiming on Wednesday that “the imminent threat from Russia is a Nato fiction.”

In a recent interview, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson repeated his denial that he discouraged Ukraine from negotiating peace in the first days of the war. “This is complete, utter nonsense,” Johnson said. He insisted that the story was just the Kremlin spreading allegations.

“It is unclear whether the Americans are bringing new proposals to the two presidents, or are pushing them to close the gap on the remaining issues, which include who will ultimately control the Donbas, Ukrainian territory that is partly occupied by Russia,” according to a New York Times report.

President Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for diplomatic talks aimed at resuming negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday ordered a three-day halt to strikes on Kyiv as U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow hoping to restart stalled negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

A clear-eyed middle-aged man leans in closer, yelping in broken English: “I don’t want to die, understand? But they got me. Now I have to go.” He downs another shot of vodka.

To be sure, Russians are growing tired of Putin.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that Berlin has concluded an agreement with the United States to purchase Tomahawk conventional cruise missiles and ground-based Typhon Mid-Range Capability launchers for permanent deployment on German territory…This acquisition systematically expands the strike radius of the Bundeswehr up to 2,500 kilometers, filling a critical conventional deterrence gap against regional deep-depth infrastructure without relying on combat aircraft or allied launch authority.

 

The proposal had already been discussed earlier this year, after a female drone commander wrote in favor of the idea and a dozen Ukrainian women received erroneous military summonses, sparking headlines around the country. The start of this month saw a petition filed urging the conscription of childless women, an idea backed by some military figures. That includes former Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, who, pointing to the example of Israel, said “we can survive only if everyone accepts that they must defend Ukraine,” adding that it would “double our mobilization resource.”

Some of those cheering Ukraine’s war effort from outside the country have also embraced the idea.

In 1991, Michael McFaul felt that he was on the edge of utopia. Russia was free of communism, and America was free to usher in a new era of liberal internationalist hegemony. The arc of history had never bent so far toward justice. Over thirty years later, those dreams have crashed back to Earth. And in Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder, McFaul seeks to put together how it all went wrong. His answer is unsurprising: an international movement of conservatives, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has sought to destroy democracy. With President Donald Trump’s election victories, they have nearly succeeded. Hope lies in a vigorous counterattack from the liberal internationalists.

NATO is being demilitarized by its own Proxy-War. Historian and American University of Armenia lecturer Pietro Shakarian joins Pascal Lottaz to discuss America’s “third Red Scare,” the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz, the proposed Mecca Pact, Ukraine’s future, Caucasus transit plans, and why he sees Europe’s elites as tied to US power during a shift toward multipolarity.

On paper, Alexander Vindman’s loss in last week’s Florida Democratic Senate was a shocking upset. After all, Vindman had a 16-to-1 fundraising advantageand far more national name recognition than the winner — progressive state Rep. Angie Nixon.

Germany is preparing to formally blame Russia for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport and impose sanctions on Russian entities, Politico reported Aug. 29, citing three officials familiar with the matter.

Few people alive today can speak with greater authority about Russia, the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War than Ambassador Jack Matlock. He served four tours in Moscow during a 35-year diplomatic career and was the last U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, from 1987 to 1991. In those years he helped negotiate the peaceful end of the Cold War — an achievement he insists must never be misremembered as a Western “victory.”

“As long as we’re here, it’s not too late,” says Kuznick regarding the urgency of an appeal to the Pope to address the questions of Peace and Nuclear Disarmament.