It is with a heavy heart that we inform readers that Consortium News Editor Robert Parry has passed away.
How to help civilians in Ukraine (CNN)
The prolonged economic and political crisis in Ukraine has lead to serious struggles for millions of people living in the conflict zone.
Organizations are delivering medical supplies, food, water and other items to those in need. Groups are also helping displaced families who cannot return to their homes.
Amb. Jon Huntsman: We Can and Must Improve Ties With Russia
For a better future for Russians, Americans and the world, we have to begin to find solutions to the common problems.
Russia offers access to its Syria bases to help deliver aid (Reuters)
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Monday it was ready to give access to its military bases in Syria for humanitarian aid deliveries.
Lev Golinkin: How the Holocaust Haunts Eastern Europe
Earlier this month, Kiev made headlines by banning “Stalingrad,” an award-winning book by Antony Beevor, an acclaimed British historian, on account of a single paragraphthat mentions a Ukrainian unit killing Jewish children. Poland’s ruling far-right Law and Justice Party proposed legislation making it illegal to accuse Poles of participating in the Holocaust, and targeted authors and journalists for daring to say otherwise. Once again, the Jews of Eastern Europe may face persecution and censorship for honoring their slain.
NY Times Editorial on Syria: Putin is an Indispensable Partner
According to an unsigned editorial in the March 5 edition of the New York Times: “Mr. Putin is untrustworthy, and the world must remain alert to his capacity for mischief. His military intervention in the war five months ago rescued Mr. Assad’s embattled regime, and there are good reasons to worry that he will exploit the cease-fire to his advantage. Still, Mr. Putin is an indispensable partner in the search for a lasting solution. This is a growing imperative for the West, and not just because the war is a disaster for the Syrians and the region.”
William J. Perry: It is now two minutes to midnight
For some time I have feared that the threat of nuclear disaster has grown beyond the risk we faced during the darkest years of the Cold War. The events of the past year have only increased my concern that the danger of a nuclear catastrophe is increasingly real.
Jaresko emerges as top candidate for prime minister (Ukraine Weekly)
Chicago-native Natalie Jaresko, the current finance minister of Ukraine, is among the top candidates to succeed the embattled Arseniy Yatsenyuk as prime minister, according to Kyiv insiders and recent news reports.
Amb. Tony Kevin (Australia) – Current Prospects for East-West Detente
Former Australian diplomat Tony Kevin (Australian Ambassador to Poland 1991-94, and to Cambodia 1994-97) gave a talk entitled ‘Current Prospects for East-West Detente- Reflections of a Former Western Diplomat’ to the Moscow Museum of Contemporary Russian History in late January.
Ukraine crisis: Growing sense of despair (CNN)
Ukraine’s prolonged crisis and political stalemateare causing a growing sense of despair and isolation among millions living in the conflict zone, the United Nations warned in a report released Thursday.
Politico: Shultz warns Congress against low-yield nuclear weapons
Former Republican Secretary of State George Shultz on Thursday warned Congress against embracing the Trump administration’s consideration of new nuclear weapons with smaller explosive yields – as proposed in a draft of the Pentagon’s pending Nuclear Posture Review.
Ukrainians rally to demand Russia release Savchenko (AP)
About 2,000 people have rallied on Independence Square in Kiev to demand that Russia release Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: It is now two minutes to midnight
The year just past proved perilous and chaotic, a year in which many of the risks foreshadowed in our last Clock statement came into full relief.
U.S. military spending vs. the world (National Priorities Project)
The U.S. outpaces all other nations in military expenditures. World military spending totaled more than $1.7 trillion in 2013. The U.S. accounted for 37 percentof the total.
Peter Hitchens: Is there Really a Russian Threat to Britain?
Silly media reports contrive to suggest that Britain is ceaselessly ‘confronting’ or ‘escorting’ Russian ships or planes which fly through international waters or airspace near our islands. But read them carefully.
Ukrainian foreign minister Klimkin says no breakthrough in Ukraine talks (DW)
With the Minsk peace accord more than a year old, France and Germany say little has been done to implement it. Although violence has wound down, social and economic reforms remain neglected, Berlin says.
Stephen F. Cohen: The American Bipartisan Policy Establishment Declares Its ‘Second Cold War’ vs. Russia After Years of Denying It
The most influential US foreign-policy membership society has issued a report affirming the new Cold War and its eagerness to fight it.
Obama Prolongs Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraine Crisis (ABC News)
President Obama has extended for another year U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia over its military intervention in Ukraine, according to a White House statement.
Obama signed an executive order to prolong the raft of measures that target senior Russian officials and businessmen connected to President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, as well as a number of key Russian state companies, blocking them from visiting or holding assets in the United States, as well as doing business with some U.S. companies.
Eugene Rumer: Our national obsession with Russia is preventing sane debate
We have developed a national obsession with Russia. Hardly a day goes by without many column inches and much airtime being devoted to yet another Russian transgression.
Russia Slams Top NATO General’s Remarks On Moscow ‘Weaponzing’ EU Refugee Crisis (IBT)
Top NATO General Philip Breedlove told U.S. lawmakers Tuesday that Russian airstrikes against Syrian rebels and Islamic State group targets are leading to an increase in the number of asylum-seekers from the region.