Author of the award-winning memoir “A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Bottles of Vodka” Lev Golinkin discusses the troubling anti-semitism in post-maidan Ukraine.
Analysis
Congress Unites on Russia Sanctions, But at What Cost? (The Real News)
As the House overwhelmingly backs new sanctions on the Kremlin, Russian lawmakers vow a “painful” response and the European Commission mulls retaliation of its own…Aaron Mate speaks to human rights and labor lawyer Dan Kovalik.
To Punish Putin, Economic Sanctions Are Unlikely to Do the Trick (NY Times)
Even the ostensible “successes” of sanctions should be scrutinized with some skepticism.
The US and Russia Are Fighting a Cold War on Two Fronts
The United States and Russia are today engaged in a proxy war on two fronts: Ukraine and Syria. On October 1, Nation contributing editor Stephen F. Cohen appeared on The Thom Hartman Program to discuss the obstacles preventing a potential coalition between the US and Russia to fight ISIS.
Russia sanctions fuel new Cold War (USA Today, Norman Solomon)
Whatever you think of Vladimir Putin – or Donald Trump, for that matter – they are the presidents of the world’s nuclear superpowers. Piling sanctions on Russia means escalating tensions. And that’s extremely dangerous.
Russia Is Not Happy with Trump’s ‘Reset’ (Dimitri Alexander Simes)
Moscow was cautiously optimistic about the new administration’s policy towards Russia. It may soon become more confrontational.
INTERCEPTED PODCAST: Glenn Greenwald, Tucker Carlson, Masha Gessen Discuss the New Cold War
WITH ALL THE constant hype about Russia, you’d think we were living in a new Cold War. This week on Intercepted: we take a deep dive into the origins and evolution of the Trump-Russia story. Fox News’s Tucker Carlson and Glenn find something they can actually agree on (the Democratic establishment’s Russia hysteria)…
Was Trump Wrong to End the CIA’s Train-and-Equip Program in Syria? (James Carden)
It seems many commentators and lawmakers have begun to judge policy on the following basis: If Russia is against it, the United States should be for it, and vice versa. Yet this is an unsound basis on which to criticize the administration; and it is potentially quite dangerous.
Syria crisis: Let’s welcome Russia’s entry into this war
Russia’s military intervention in Syria, although further internationalising the conflict, does however present opportunities, as well as complications. There are no simple solutions to this terrible war which has destroyed Syria. Out of a population of 22 million, four million Syrians are refugees abroad and seven million have been displaced inside the country.
Clinton book to double down on Russia, Comey message (Ami Parnes)
Hillary Clinton’s upcoming book will double down on Russia’s interference and James Comey’s involvement in her stunning election defeat, according to sources familiar with the memoir.
Russian Military Intervention in Syria
Western governments and mass media are putting out reports that Russia’s first air sorties in Homs and Hama in Syria “are not targeting ISIS” and that this demonstrates that Putin has no intention of fighting jihadists but has intervened in Syria to prop up the Basar Assad regime.
They deliberately are not telling you several things.
Historian: If Russia Meddled, It Was ‘Average’ (Real News, feat. Dov Levin)
Dov Levin of Carnegie Mellon University looked at U.S. and Russian interference in other countries’ elections since World War II and found that the U.S. was far in the lead, interfering over 80 times – and in far more impactful ways than alleged hacking and fake news.
HOW SERIOUS A THREAT IS THE FAR RIGHT IN UKRAINE? VIEWS FROM KYIV
The danger of extreme nationalists in Ukraine has gradually been getting more serious attention in the western press, with words like “extreme right,” “neo-Nazi” and “skinhead” belatedly replacing euphemistic labels for the most radical political and paramilitary organizations. But it took the brutal killing of three unquestionably patriotic Ukrainian National Guardsmen during protests outside of the Verkhovna Rada to create some kind of consensus about the scale of their threat.
Trump Pulls the Plug in Syria (Graham Fuller)
The powerful Russophobe lobby in Washington will undoubtedly see this move to cut US covert aid to “friendly jihadis” as another sign that Putin controls Trump. But then who controls the neocons?
Are Russia and America Headed for a Showdown? (George Beebe)
What happens when an under-staffed, under-experienced, and under-managed presidency, under siege by domestic opponents, is faced with an escalating crisis with a nuclear superpower? We could well find out soon, because powerful forces in both Russia and the United States appear to be itching for a fight.
Orwell at the UN: Obama re-defines democracy as a country that supports U.S. policy
In his Orwellian September 28, 2015 speech to the United Nations, President Obama said that if democracy had existed in Syria, there never would have been a revolt against Assad. By that, he meant ISIL. Where there is democracy, he said, there is no violence or revolution.
Intel Vets Challenge ‘Russia Hack’ Evidence (Consortium News)
In a memo to President Trump, a group of former U.S. intelligence officers, including NSA specialists, cite new forensic studies to challenge the claim of the key Jan. 6 “assessment” that Russia “hacked” Democratic emails last year.
Regarding Leaks From The US Intelligence Community (Fred Weir)
Here is a question that I have probably posed before, but I think it’s a fairly obvious one and I can’t understand why it isn’t getting asked more often? Stories like this appear to give away the farm to Russian intelligence. It must be feeling like Christmas every day to the folks in the Lubyanka. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. [Read more…] about Regarding Leaks From The US Intelligence Community (Fred Weir)
When Pushing Democracy on Others Backfires (Oleg Svet)
Despite or because of USAID’s closing in Russia, the US doubled-down on efforts to promote civil society in Russia. This is both disappointing and illogical. Disappointing because it exudes undiplomatic arrogance….
The Power of False Narrative
From NATO’s Gen. Philip Breedlove to the State Department’s Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy Richard Stengel, the manipulation of information is viewed as a potent “soft power” weapon. It’s a way to isolate and damage an “enemy,” especially Russia and Putin.
This demonization of Putin makes cooperation between him and Obama difficult, such as Russia’s recent military buildup in Syria as part of a commitment to prevent a victory by the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.