The prospects of a Geneva II conference to resolve the Syrian crisis occurring in November are fading, as several key unresolved issues remain. The first is that the Syrian opposition that took to the streets to protest, and later to fight, against Bashar al Assad remains unwilling to negotiate until Assad’s resignation is agreed to […]
Russia’s trade wars are showing no signs of ending any time soon. In fact, despite signs that the Kremlin has fired a man who has been the face of Russia’s isolationist and exclusivist policies, a development which some said was a sign of change, Russia is now increasing its threats to Ukraine by making them […]
Syria has sacked their deputy prime minister, Qadri Jamil, without warning. Any sudden change in the Assad regime is likely to spark controversy and conspiracy theory. Jamil is a member of the opposition party recognized by the President’s party, the Ba’ath party. Jamil’s party is often seen as a farce as it is fairly closely tied […]
Gennady Onishchenko, head of the Federal Consumer Protection Service, has been dismissed. Onishchenko was seen as the face of many Russian isolationist policies, such as the banning of “harmful” food products from many former Soviet countries which had expressed interests in joining the European Union instead of the Russian alternative, the Customs Union. The Moscow […]
In Kyrgyzstan, at least 23 protesters have been arrested after riots broke out on Monday. At the height of the violence, the province’s governor, Emil Kaptagaev, was held captive for several hours before he was released. The protests started when a Canadian-owned mining operation signed an agreement with the Kyrgyzstan government. Some have suggested that the protests […]
Russia has evacuated its diplomatic staff in Libya after armed men attacked one of their embassies last week, in response to the apparent killing of a Libyan Air Force officer by a Russia citizen. Below is a translation from the pro-Kremlin agency Izvestia. – Ed. Russian diplomats, urgently evacuated from Lybia because of the attack […]
The world is paying attention to the shutdown of the American government. Below is an enlightening explanation, meant for a Russian audience, of the political background that led to the shutdown, as well as some commentary. Of note is the likening of this crisis to the 1993 Russian coup. It was published in the state-owned […]
Russia has been in a trade war with Ukraine after the latter moved to enter the European Union instead of the Russian-made alternative, the Customs Union. In response, the Russian government has blocked imports from Ukraine, and even threatened to deport workers with Ukrainian accents, moves that have further isolated Russia from central and western […]
U.S. President Barack Obama made a speech to the United Nations on Tuesday. He addressed many issues, but there were two key areas, the crisis in Syria and Iran’s nuclear program, that were his focus. On Syria, Obama said that Assad must be held accountable for using chemical weapons on August 21st, an event with […]
Izvestia has deep ties to the Kremlin, and if anyone is unclear about Izvestia’s motives, a sense of history and a quick read of their editorials will quickly shed light on their ideology. This article, for instance, was published on the front page this week, and claims to explain the historical causes of the tragic […]
