An influential British think tank and Ukraine’s military are disputing a report that the U.S. cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has used to buttress its claims of Russian hacking in the presidential election.
Ukraine: What Remains of Minsk?
The situation in Ukraine and in insurgent areas of the Donbass is steadily deteriorating. This is proved by the clashes of the last few days, which, though limited, have certainly been the most violent since January 2015. The “Minsk 2” agreements are in a process of dissolution, and this largely due to the Kiev government. This was predictable. We must therefore review the situation in order to attempt to understand how we got here.
The House Intelligence Committee Hearing on Russia Was Political Theater (James Carden)
Gallup found that between 2006 and 2016 the percentage of Americans who expressed confidence in Congress as an institution fell from 19 percent to 9 percent. There is a reason for this.
Obama lambasts Putin: you’re wrecking Russia to recreate Soviet empire
Barack Obama has used the close of the G7 summit in Germany to deliver his strongest criticism yet of Vladimir Putin, lambasting the Russian president’s isolationist approach as the seven leaders signalled their readiness to tighten sanctions against Russia if the conflict in Ukraine escalates.
The House Intelligence Committee Hearing: Missing Questions (TNI-Editorial)
Rep. Schiff and many other Democrats apparently want to broaden and deepen the existing confrontation between the United States and Russia without giving any thought to its possible consequences.
How the Senate Armed Services Committee Is Undermining Minsk II
It is hard, given the tenor of the policy discussion on Capitol Hill over the past week, to escape the conclusion that President Obama is under intense pressure—not only from both political parties, but also, disturbingly, from the NATO supreme allied commander—to wade ever deeper into the Ukrainian morass.
Jerry Brown takes international stage on nuclear danger: ‘We all ought to wake up’ (SacBee)
Gov. Jerry Brown, speaking more than a year ago to the scientists who measure civilization’s proximity to global disaster, lamented that it’s difficult to talk about big problems such as the threat of climate change and the nuclear arms race.
Transnistria shapes up as next Ukraine-Russia flashpoint
Keep an eye on Transnistria, the pro-Russian breakaway state in Moldova. On Monday, Dmitri Trenin, one of Russia’s best-known foreign policy analysts and a man with good Kremlin antennae, tweeted: “Growing concern in Moscow that Ukraine and Moldova will seek to squeeze Transnistria hard, provoking conflict with Russia.
The Trillion Dollar Question the Media Have Neglected to Ask Presidential Candidates (Lawrence Wittner)
The American people will be footing the bill — but, by and large, they haven’t heard much about our country’s planned trillion-dollar nuclear weapons upgrade.
West must consider arming Ukraine: Ex-NATO head
The Russia-Ukraine crisis could last decades, the former secretary general of NATO has warned, telling CNBC that the West should consider arming the Ukrainians in a fight that is “part of a bigger Russian master plan.” Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who led the international military alliance of NATO between 2009 and 2014, said that Russia continued to destabilize Ukraine, with “tens of thousands” of troops amassed along the Russian-Ukrainian border and “actively operating” within the country.
PODCAST: Stephen F. Cohen Talks Russia Hacking On NPR
The House Intelligence Committee holds its first public hearing into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. Will we soon know more about the Kremlin’s possible connections to the campaign? Professor Cohen is joined by Greg Feifer, former Moscow correspondent for NPR and Leon Aron of the neoconservative think tank AEI.
Russia, Iraq dominate Obama’s agenda at G-7
For two days here in the German Alps, President Obama has struggled with many of the issues — Russian aggression, the Islamic State, climate change and sensitive nuclear negotiations with Iran — that will define his legacy. The meetings of the leaders of the seven largest industrialized democracies have been dominated by the fighting in Ukraine and the need to maintain tough sanctions designed to punish Russia for its backing of separatist fighters there.
Russia’s Alfa Bank Says Cyberattacks Falsely Tie It to Trump (Bloomberg)
Alfa Bank said it was a victim of hackers intent on giving a false impression that the Russian lender has communicated with the Trump Organization, and it’s asking U.S. law enforcement authorities for help.
U.S. Trains Ukrainian Forces on Russia’s Doorstep — And Moscow Isn’t Happy
American troops are training Ukrainian forces on Russia’s doorstep, a move seen as a major provocation by Vladimir Putin’s regime. The live-fire drills and counter-insurgency exercises involving about 300 U.S. paratroopers are a key bone of contention for the Moscow, which the West accuses of helping to arm pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Russian bank tells DOJ mysterious Trump computer connections may have been hacker hoax (Circa)
The bank believes “these malicious attacks are designed to create the false impression that Alfa Bank has a secretive relationship with the Trump Organization,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Observations on Russia’s Economic Situation: A Letter from St. Petersburg
For the Russian government to take timely measures in the ongoing crisis situation and prevent long term negative consequences for its economy, it would be better if the pain so many people are experiencing were given due coverage and explained.
Why the U.S. Should Team Up with the Kurds & Not Turkey to Take Raqqa and Destroy the Islamic State (Joshua Landis)
Russia and Iran want to divide ISIS territory between the Kurds and the Syrian government that is led by Asad. The United States should allow this to happen if it wants an exit strategy.
EU Council Head Tusk Urges Tough Line on Russia Sanctions
World leaders at the Group of Seven summit should present a united front and uphold the sanctions imposed on Russia for its actions against Ukraine, a top European Union official urged Sunday. European Union President Donald Tusk spoke ahead of the official opening of the G-7 summit, as thousands of German police patrolled a security perimeter around an exclusive Bavarian hotel and a few hundred protesters chanted anti-capitalist slogans.
NYT’s ‘Tinfoil Hat’ Conspiracy Theory (Robert Parry)
What is perhaps most shocking about Mensch’s op-ed and its prominent placement by the Times is that the story has all the elements of a “tinfoil-hat” conspiracy. It’s the sort of wild-eyed smearing of American citizens that the Times would normally deride as an offensive fantasy that would be either ignored or mentioned only to mock the conspiracists.
G7 leaders urge tough line on Russia at start of summit
Leaders from the Group of Seven (G7) industrial nations backed a tough line toward Moscow at the start of a summit in the Bavarian Alps, with U.S. President Barack Obama urging the gathering to stand up to Russian aggression in Ukraine.