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?
Worst is over for Russia economy: CFO
Russia’s recent economic turbulence, weakened ruble and high inflation could be coming to an end, according to the chief financial officer of the country’s leading telecoms business.
Alexey Kornya, chief financial officer of Russian telecoms giant MTS, told CNBC Monday that “in terms of inflation and ruble devaluation, the worst has already passed,” he said.
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.
Russia confounds US with Syria military moves
Now, 1,506 days since the Obama administration first declared that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s “days are numbered,” he’s still there, and a convergence of Western trepidation and Russian resolve could strengthen his position further. But it also could set the stage for a long-sought political transition leading to the end of the Assad family’s 45-year rule.
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)
SYRIA: NEW RUSSIAN STRIKES, TALKS IN PARIS ON ASSAD’S FUTURE
The presidents of Russia and France, which both started bombing Syria this week, held talks Friday about their military operations as they tried to overcome differences on whether Syrian President Bashar Assad should stay in power.
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.
NBC Interviews Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
Asked whether the two presidents had other conversations or met in the corridors of the G-20 meeting, Lavrov used the analogy of children mingling at a kindergarten. Full interview here.
Russia’s Lavrov on Syria targets: ‘If it looks like a terrorist, walks like a terrorist …’
Russia’s airstrikes in Syria “do not go beyond ISIL (ISIS), al Nusra or other terrorist groups recognized by the United Nations Security Council or Russian law,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.
Pushed to define “other terrorist groups,” Lavrov said: “If it looks like a terrorist, if it acts like a terrorist, if it walks like a terrorist, if it fights like a terrorist, it’s a terrorist, right?”
Ukraine’s choice: Nationalism vs. European values (Evgenia Bilchenko)
The domineering of the far right in Ukraine, facilitated by the oligarchic mechanisms of power, has become a fact. It is not just a myth spread by Russian propaganda, although it is often exploited and aggrandised.
World Leaders Must Bring Russia Back From the Cold, Renzi Says
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said western leaders trying to end the carnage in Syria must accept the central role of Russia in world affairs as a renewed drive to end the war got off to a difficult start in New York.
The youthful premier, in a sweeping interview that tackled issues ranging from reform of Italy’s Senate to the Middle East and the migration crisis, urged his partners to show they could “build a Europe without walls, but with hope
Two Campaign Chairman Appointed By Harvard To Defend Democracy From Hackers (Jeffrey Carr)
There is a myriad of reasons why the worst qualified man in history is now one of the most powerful men in the world. One reason that definitely should not be on that list is that the election was hacked.
Russia hardliner resigns post at Pentagon
Obama met with Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to learn more about Russia’s intentions in Syria. Obama has asked for answers from his national security team about Russia, but the limits he has placed on potential U.S. action might mean they don’t have many new options to recommend.
In testimony last year before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Farkas took a hard line on Russia, saying the country’s actions “stand as an affront to the international order that we and our allies have worked to build since the end of the Cold War.”
Congress Must Preserve the INF Treaty with Russia (Thomas Graham)
A new bill proposes that the United States would no longer be bound by the INF Treaty if Russia remains in violation.
Obama and Putin Meet in New York, Agree on Nothing
As opposed to Obama’s confident assertions that the nebulous “international community” led, of course, by the United States, can and should bend the arc of history to its will, Putin expressed a humility born of failure. As Putin told the UN Assembly: “We also remember certain episodes from the history of the Soviet Union. Social experiments for export, attempts to push for changes within other countries based on ideological preferences, often led to tragic consequences and to degradation rather than progress.”
That is only too true.
Analysis of the DPR Plan to Create ‘Little Russia’ (Paul Robinson)
‘New Russia is dead! Long live Little Russia!’ Aleksandr Zakharchenko, leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), announced the formation of a new state, Malorossiia, ‘Little Russia’…
John Batchelor Continues His Weekly Conversation with Prof. Stephen F. Cohen
During a busy week for US-Russian relations, ACEWA Founding Board Member Professor Stephen F. Cohen continued his weekly conversations with WABC radio personality, John Batchelor. As US President Obama and Russian President Putin faced off at the United Nations this week, the conversation between Cohen and Batchelor takes on even greater import and is a must listen for those deeply concerned with the future of the West.