The Vladimir Putin regime does not allow any grass to grow under its feet. There may be plenty of problems in the world, but the Putin regime--ever industrious--never hesitates to try to add to them. We have, for example, a purported threat by the Russians to use "nuclear force" in order "to defend its annexation …
This Is a Very Old Piece . . .
But it is worth remembering that Stephen Cohen, Katrina vanden Heuvel, and the Nation have utterly disgraced themselves in covering the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Attention Katrina vanden Heuvel
Here is some genuine fascism and anti-Semitism for you to be upset about: Remember when Vladimir Putin said the provisional government in Kiev was brought to power by "nationalists, neo-Nazis, Russophobes and anti-Semites"? Remember how RT, or Russia Today, the Kremlin's English-language propaganda outlet, actively advanced the fiction—and it is a fiction—that anti-Semitism is now running …
Today in Bad Russia-Ukraine News
Let's go through the depressing details: "Novorossiya" is quite the ominous term. As pointed out by Walter Russell Mead and company, what Vladimir Putin tells a Russian audience is significantly more important than some vague agreement that supposedly is designed to reduce tensions, but in fact is actually designed to allow diplomats to say that they …
Tensions Rise in Ukraine
In the event that you have forgotten, things remain really bad between Ukraine and Russia. And they are getting worse: Armed separatists took virtual control of a city in eastern Ukraine on Saturday and Kiev prepared troops to deal with what it called an "act of aggression by Russia". Pro-Russian activists carrying automatic weapons seized government buildings …
The Nation’s False and Dishonest Crimea Narrative
For those who believe that the recent annexation of Crimea by Russia might actually unite Americans of all ideological stripes in opposition to the thuggishness of the Putin regime, I give you this piece by editors of the Nation. It shows that even now, in the immediate aftermath of the annexation, while historical memories are still fresh, there are …
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Today in Depressing News Regarding Ukraine
Here it is: Russia may not be done conquering. In a strange way, I almost hope that the Russians try to launch an offensive to reach Transnistria, as I cannot imagine a more blatant example of overreach that might serve to further isolate Russia in the international community, and as such overreach may prove to be exceedingly …
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In Ukraine, Tensions Remain High
I haven't been blogging for the past two days because I have been laid low by The Worst Cold In The History Of Ever. Any hopes that in the time that it took me to recover, the Ukraine crisis could be resolved, seem to have gone out the window. Ukraine remains worried that Russia may launch …
When It Comes to Punishing Russia, Our Options Are Limited
I know that economic sanctions are everyone's favorite way to punish Russia, and I allow for the possibility that over time, sanctions may well take a significant bite out of the Russian economy. But at best, sanctions are an imperfect and crude tool with which to coerce any nation-state, and when it comes to coercing …
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Your Absolutely Non-Shocking News of the Day
Behold: Crimeans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to leave Ukraine and join Russia, election officials in the breakaway peninsula said, with the extraordinarily high figures capping a one-sided campaign of intimidation and heavy-handed tactics that blocked most voters from hearing a vision for any alternative other than unification with Moscow. In related--and equally non-shocking--news, not all "votes" …
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Pejman Yousefzadeh 