The Syrian rebels, in what appears to be a joint operation between several Free Syrian Army (FSA) brigades, have captured an important Syrian Army installation overlooking to town of Al Harra (or Tal Harra), in Daraa province (map). The capture of the base would be significant news in and of itself. The base towers above […]
This week on The Interpreter podcast Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and The Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller discuss Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s recent visit to the United States, and how Ukraine will (or perhaps will not) be supported by the United States and Europe. But the conversation quickly turns to ISIS and the US […]
This week on The Interpreter podcast Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter Magazine’s managing editor James Miller discuss the latest news from Ukraine. Can Ukraine’s new president broker a peace with Russia? Is Ukraine losing in the east? Are things actually getting worse, not better, despite the media narrative? What is NATO’s role, is […]
Staunton, 4 June – Vladimir Putin’s approach in Ukraine appears to be modelled on what he believes the West been doing in Syria, an approach that he hopes to use as the basis of a swap between Moscow and the G-7 but one that could transform what many in Russia continue to call “the near […]
There are reports of a possible chemical weapons attack in at least one area of Syria, but possibly more. Below we will be analyzing the information as it comes in. 2138 GMT: Here is what we know so far: Earlier today there were reports of a chemical weapons attack in Harasta, an area near Damascus […]
Staunton, March 27 – The Western powers have long talked about “red lines” in Syria and elsewhere: actions or events that they say have suggested underscore their concern and indicate where they will act. Now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has done the same, and his “red lines” underscore that his moves in Ukraine are part […]
Was the Crimean referendum legitimate? Is Russia going to invade Ukraine? Moldova? Did NATO provoke Russia into aggressive expansionism? Is the Russian media changing its tune on how it defines the Ukrainian revolution? Is what happened in Ukraine a blow to efforts to combat nuclear proliferation? This week, Boston College Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and Interpreter […]
The goals of the Syria peace talks in Montreux are fairly straight forward: negotiate an end to armed conflict which has cost well over 120,000 lives and has displaced a huge percentage of the population. As I argued in my overview of the conference, there is absolutely no chance for success. So far, everything that […]
The Geneva II conference on Syria starts this week. The Syrian National Coalition, the internationally recognized opposition group, has decided that it will attend. The SNC also indicated last week that hopes for success were slim. But those hopes have now fallen to zero. This is not my wish, nor my opinion, but the only […]
Why does the image of the Russian state, despite the tens of millions of dollars invested in PR, leave much to be desired? This is what The New Times asked Angus Roxburgh, who served several years in Ketchum PR-agency, that advises the Kremlin In 2013, just one year after the “premiere”, a new edition of […]
