Obama to Outline Campaign against Islamic State Militants
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Obama to Outline Campaign against Islamic State Militantsby webdesk@voanews.com (Michael Bowman)
President Barack Obama says the United States will go on the offensive against Islamic State militants that could one day pose a threat to America’s homeland. VOA’s Michael Bowman reports Obama will address the nation Wednesday as Congress gets back to work after a five-week recess.
Aleksandr was expecting the ceasefire to be broken; the only surprise when he set off for the frontline was that it came earlier than expected. There were explosions all around as he stepped out of his armoured car in a checkpoint under attack, flying shrapnel cutting into him within minutes.
Russia to allocate huge funds to develop food production
ITAR-TASS MOSCOW, September 08, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia will allocate huge funds to support a number of sectors of domestic agriculture, the country's prime minister said in an interview with the Vedomosti business daily. “We have launched a program to support the ... Medvedev: Energy, Finance Sanctions Against Russia May Provoke 'Asymmetric ...RIA Novosti all 10 news articles » |
EU Due To Adopt Fresh Russia Sanctionsby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
The European Union is expected to formally adopt a fourth wave of sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine on September 8.
 GIGAmir |
В Днепропетровск вернулись 15 освобожденных из плена украинских солдат
Коммерсантъ В Днепропетровск из Донецка 7 сентября вечером привезли 15 освобожденных из плена украинских солдат. Об этом сообщает корреспондент «Интерфакса». Среди освобожденных семеро военнослужащих из 51-й бригады, один из 93-й бригады, шестеро из 40-го батальона ... Ополченцы ДНР освободили 15 украинских военныхКомсомольская правда В Днепропетровске встретили 15 вернувшихся из плена украинских солдатНТВ.ru В Днепропетровск из Донецка привезли 15 освобожденных из плена украинских солдат, двое раненыNEWSru.com Газета.Ru -СЕГОДНЯ Все похожие статьи: 33 » |
Ukraine and Russia Face Gaps in a Truce and a Chasm on the Issues by By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Both sides agreed to a “decentralization of power” in Ukraine in the terms of a truce agreement, but just what form that may take remains one issue of contention.
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 New York Times |
Ukraine and Russia Face Gaps in a Truce and a Chasm on the Issues
New York Times Despite Russia's official position that it is not a party to the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin has laid out in writing its demands for a new political system in Ukraine, including a new constitution that would turn the country into a ... Russia Hardens Military Thinking as NATO Fizzes Over UkraineThe Moscow Times Ukraine ceasefire in jeopardy as government troops clash with pro-Russia rebelsNational Post In Kiev, A New Patriotism Cemented In Russia's ShadowNPR EurActiv- Washington Post (blog)- Mirror.co.uk all 4,205 news articles » |
 РИА Новости |
Перемирие на востоке Украины прерывается обстрелами
BBC Russian С востока Украины приходят сообщения об обстрелах позиций украинских войск, несмотря на вступившее в силу 5 сентября соглашение о перемирии. Корреспондент Би-би-си наблюдал перестрелку поблизости от донецкого аэропорта. В ночь на воскресенье сильному обстрелу ... До мира в Украине далекоНезависимая газета Погранслужба Украины: ополченцы обстреливают позиции силовиковАргументы и факты Мариуполем возобновилась стрельба: ополченцыИА REGNUM Новости Волгограда-ИТАР-ТАСС Все похожие статьи: 27 » |
 New York Times |
Despite Sanctions, Cash Keeps Flowing at Playground for Russia's Rich
New York Times FORTE DEI MARMI, Italy — In this seaside resort town that is Italy's version of a RussianRiviera, where furs dangle in shop windows in August and beach clubs keep chilled bottles of vodka, a temblor of anxiety unnerved hoteliers and restaurateurs in ... |
 Business Insider |
New EU Sanctions to Stop Fundraising by 3 Russian Oil Giants
Wall Street Journal BRUSSELS—New European Union sanctions on Russia will expand the number ofRussian companies unable to raise money in the bloc's capital markets to include three major state-owned oil companies, according to documents seen by The Wall Street ... New sanctions against Russia?Deutsche Welle Russian PM: We're Not Scared Of Western SanctionsBusiness Insider Russia to Respond 'Asymmetrically' to New Sanctions, Medvedev SaysNBCNews.com The Moscow Times-ITAR-TASS-Financial Times all 142 news articles » |
 РИА Новости |
Метеорит образовал воронку рядом с аэропортом в Никарагуа
BFM.Ru Рядом с аэропортом столицы Никарагуа в минувшие выходные упал небольшой метеорит, передает ИТАР-ТАСС. Падение небесного тела привело к образованию кратера диаметром 12 метров и глубиной 5 метров. Власти страны сформировали комиссию в составе ученых, ... Возле аэропорта столицы Никарагуа упал метеоритКоммерсантъ Недалеко от столицы Никарагуа упал метеоритКомсомольская правда В Никарагуа упал метеоритПравда.Ру Интерфакс -BBC Russian -Lenta.ru Все похожие статьи: 35 » |
Some of the most compelling photographs from RFE/RL's broadcast region and beyond. For more photo galleries, see our "Picture This" archive by clicking on the banner above.
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Congress Returns to Major Foreign Policy Challengesby webdesk@voanews.com (Cindy Saine)
Congress is back in session Monday after more than a month away from Washington. The House and Senate must pass a spending bill by the end of September to keep the U.S. government funded. Lawmakers hope to act quickly so they can head home to campaign ahead of November, when the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are up for election. However, major international developments may command lawmakers' attention. The second beheading last week of an American journalist, Steven Sotloff, elicited an emotional response from many members of Congress across the country. Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce said the Islamic State militant group poses a singular threat. "What is unique about ISIS's strategy is the release of this information, the way in which it boasts of its capacity to kill and terrorize," said Sotloff. Royce and others say the U.S. must lead an international coalition to go after Islamic State targets with drones and airstrikes. President Barack Obama said he will meet with congressional leaders on Tuesday to discuss his strategy for going after the Islamic State and will address the nation on Wednesday. The House will hold five hearings this week focusing on terrorism. Some lawmakers say President Obama should seek congressional authorization for a broader military campaign in Iraq, and possibly even in Syria. Steve Billet is a professor at George Washington University "I think they probably will pass something related to ISIS. What form that actually takes in the end is another issue. Will we move beyond using drones for airstrikes? Will we put more people on the ground? Will we actually put people on the ground that will engage in military exercises? That’s a bigger issue," said Billet. Other members of Congress have criticized the president for not reacting strongly enough to the executions and say it is past time that he lay out a strategy for defeating the Islamic State. Another unresolved issue is immigration reform and the influx of Central American children at the U.S. southern border. The president said Saturday he will postpone any executive action on immigration reform until after the midterm elections. Immigrants' rights groups and pro-immigration lawmakers say they are disappointed and have accused the president of playing politics with immigrants' lives, as more undocumented people are deported daily. Several Republicans also said the president's decision can be attributed to "raw politics." For months, the Democratic-led Senate and the Republican-led House have been unable to agree on legislation on a number of pressing issues such as immigration reform, and many lawmakers would like to avoid votes on controversial issues just weeks before the mid-term elections.
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RFE/RL in the Media # Buzzfeed story about Russian state radio trying to buy airtime from RFE/RL Iraq Service # Foreign Policy and "Moscow Times" cite RFE/RL Belarusian reporting on students in trouble for ice bucket challenge # Yahoo News uses RFE/RL Balkans video of trapped coalminers in Bosnia # Breitbart cites RFE/RL reporting of Iraq crisis Ukraine # Cease-fire does not appear to be...
Iranian Supreme Leader Undergoes Prostate Surgeryby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Iranian state media say Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has undergone prostate surgery at a Tehran hospital. The official IRNA news agency said the procedure Monday morning "ended successfully." The 75-year-old ayatollah has led Iran since 1989. He gave reassurances before the surgery, saying "there is no reason to worry."
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow will respond "asymmetrically" -- possibly targeting flights over Russia -- if the West imposes further sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said Russia could close its airspace to Western carriers if new European sanctions target Russia's oil and gas companies or impose additional financing restrictions.
 Независимая газета |
До мира в Украине далеко
Независимая газета На территории Донецкой и Луганской областей обе воюющие стороны периодически нарушают приказы о прекращении огня и захватывают населенные пункты. Однако на большинстве направлений царит затишье. Начался обмен пленными. Хотя большинство экспертов считали, что ... и другие » |
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Ukraine: shelling threatens fragile truceby Shaun Walker in Mariupol
Both sides accuse each other of violating ceasefire agreement in east Ukraine with fighting centred on the town of Mariupol
Shelling and gunfire in east Ukraine on Sunday threatened a fragile ceasefire agreed on Friday, with both sides accusing the other of violating the truce. One woman was killed overnight in the city of Mariupol, which is still in Ukrainian hands but braced for assault from rebel forces.
A commander in the Azov battalion, a group of volunteer fighters with far-right views defending Mariupol, told the Guardian he believed soldiers had been killed and wounded by the shelling of a Ukrainian checkpoint.
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 РБК |
Порошенко допустил иностранцев к газовой трубе Украины
РБК Президент Украины Петр Порошенко подписал закон о реформировании газотранспортной системы страны. Как сообщается на сайте Верховной рады, принятый ранее депутатами закон был сегодня возвращен в парламент с подписью главы государства. Рада приняла закон «О ... Порошенко разрешил привлекать к управлению газотранспортной системой США и ЕСBFM.Ru Все трубы — Западу: Порошенко одобрил скандальную реформу ГТСМосковский комсомолец Порошенко подписал закон о реформировании управления ГТС УкраиныГазета.Ru РИА Новости -НТВ.ru -Коммерсантъ Все похожие статьи: 36 » |
Russian PM warns west against further sanctionsby Reuters in Moscow
Medvedev says Russia would respond 'asymmetrically' to new measures over Ukraine, possibly stopping flights in its airspace
The Russian prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, has said Moscow would respond to any new western sanctions "asymmetrically," possibly preventing airlines flying through Russian airspace, if the US and EU press on with "the temptation to use force in international relations".
In an interview with Russian daily Vedomosti published on Monday, Medvedev said: "If there are sanctions related to the energy sector, or further restrictions on Russia's financial sector, we will have to respond asymmetrically."
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 NBCNews.com |
Russia to Respond 'Asymmetrically' to New Sanctions, Medvedev Says
NBCNews.com Moscow will respond "asymmetrically" to new sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, possibly targeting flights over Russia, if its Western partners press on with "the temptation to use force in international relations," Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said ... Russia to allocate huge funds to develop food productionITAR-TASS Russia's PM signals $40 billion state help for Rosneft possible: VedomostiReuters Medvedev: Russia Could Close Airspace If West Brings New SanctionsThe Moscow Times Press TV -RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty -Yahoo News UK all 35 news articles » |
Medvedev Vows 'Asymmetric' Response to Any New Sanctionsby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Russia's prime minister says Moscow would respond "asymmetrically" to any new Western sanctions placed on his country's energy or financial sectors in response to Russia's widely perceived support of rebels in eastern Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev threatened restrictions on Russia's airspace if new sanctions are imposed. The prime minister said some Western airlines could become bankrupt if they are not allowed to fly over Russia. The prime minister's remarks were published Monday in the Russian daily newspaper Vedomosti. The European Union is set to impose a new round of economic sanctions on Russia Monday. Russia denies arming Ukrainian separatists or sending its own troops into Ukraine, despite evidence to the contrary. Envoys from Russian, the separatists and the Ukrainian government approved a cease-fire Friday at talks in Belarus led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. However, fighting and shelling in eastern Ukraine have put the truce between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists in jeopardy. Shelling near the Donetsk airport Sunday set two houses on fire in a small village, while clashes near the city of Mariupol killed a civilian and wounded three other people. The rebellion in eastern Ukraine launched in April by pro-Russian separatists has killed more than 2,600 people and created tens of thousands of refugees fleeing areas near the Russian border. Ukraine and NATO accuse Moscow of providing direct help to separatists.
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Council Of Europe Commissioner Slams Baku For Human Rights Violationsby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
The Council of Europe's human rights chief has harshly criticized Azerbaijani authorities over what he says is the deterioration of human rights and basic freedoms in the oil-producing Caspian Sea country.
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Rolling coverage of all todays political developments as they happen, including David Camerons Commons statement about the Nato summit
The TUC has released some extracts from Frances OGradys speech in advance and, in them, the TUC general secretary warns that Britain is reverting to a Downton Abbey-style society.
Are we going to settle for a nastier and poorer Britain? A Downton Abbey-style society, in which the living standards of the vast majority are sacrificed to protect the high living of the well-to-do?
We are piling yet more riches onto a privileged few. Economic growth is back but theres no sign of it in most workers pay packets. In fact, the gap has got worse. Top chief executives now earn 175 times the wages of the average worker.
No, its the politics of justice. I think there is real anger about greed in the boardroom, but its even more important than just people getting fair pay. This is about building a sustainable economy based on good, skilled jobs and decent pay.
Nothing else matters now in British politics apart from the Scottish independence referendum, is the headline above Martin Kettles front-page column in todays Guardian. Hes right, of course, and shortly Ill be heading for Scotland to blog from there. For the moment Ben Quinn is writing our Scottish independence live blog from Edinburgh. But I will be covering everything being said at Westminster, including at the Number 10 lobby briefing and by David Cameron when he addresses MPs this afternoon.
But theres a fair amount of non-Scotland politics around too. Heres the agenda for the day.
Continue reading... Обозреватель |
В ОБСЕ заявили, что режим прекращения огня на востоке Украины «в целом» соблюдается
Коммерсантъ В Организации по безопасности и сотрудничеству в Европе (ОБСЕ) заявили, что режим прекращения огня на востоке Украины «в целом» соблюдается. «В целом режим прекращения огня сохраняется, хотя остается шатким», — цитирует «РИА Новости» слова посла Швейцарии Томаса ... ОБСЕ: В целом режим прекращения огня на Украине сохраняетсяРоссийская Газета ОБСЕ: Режим перемирия на Украине в целом соблюдаетсяВзгляд ОБСЕ: режим прекращения огня на востоке Украины «в целом» соблюдаетсяMail.Ru Новостной проект INFOX.ru -ИТАР-ТАСС Все похожие статьи: 18 » |
Dalai Lama Blasts Putin's Self-Centerednessby The Moscow Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin's self-centeredness is leading his country into ruin, the Dalai Lama said in an interview with a German newspaper on Sunday.
Russian blogger Alexei Gaskarov is among the latest in a series of Russian activists to be imprisoned on charges of rioting at a protest on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin's inauguration in May, 2012. He has continued blogging from his cell.
Swiss officials are debating whether fugitive U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden could receive asylum to testify in state investigations into foreign espionage against Switzerland.
Window on Eurasia: Moscow Engaging in Ethnic Cleansing in Crimea, Latvian Foreign Minister Saysby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, September 8 – The Russian occupation authorities in Crimea are engaging in ethnic cleansing on the Ukrainian peninsula, something that the international community must not only take note of but do everything possible to stop, according to Edgar Rinkevics, Latvia’s foreign minister.
And Mustafa Cemilev, the longtime leader of the Crimean Tatars who has been banned from his homeland by the occupation authorities, adds that the FSB-organized and directed campaign of discrimination and oppression against his people will not end until the Russian occupation does.
In a statement today, Rinkevics said that what the international community is seeing on the territory of occupied Ukraine is “in essence the ethnic cleansing” of the Crimean Tatars by the Russian authorities, something that the OSCE and the Council of Europe should have been doing more to stop (regnum.ru/news/polit/1844870.html).
“We must not forget about this problem,” the minister said.
His declaration about Russian ethnic cleansing against the Crimean Tatars was part of a more general discussion of what Moscow is doing. “We live in a very critical time when under the cover of conflict in Ukraine are observed efforts to destroy the system of international law and the world order which has existed since the end of World War II.”
Latvians, like their two Baltic neighbors, have particular reason to remember and understand “what consequences such violations of international law can give rise to,” Rinkevics said, especially if there is no “unified and coordinated reaction of international organizations” to such acts.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, the reaction so far “has not been sufficiently adequate.” What is necessary is that “all possibilities and instruments which international organizations possess must be used to prevent this situation” from getting worse and ultimately reversing it lest what is going on now cast a dark shadow over the future.
Meanwhile, Mustafa Cemilev, the longtime leader of the Crimean Tatar movement who now serves as the Ukrainian government official responsible for the affairs of that people, says that Russia’s FSB has embarked on a strategy of repression against the Crimean Tatars and will continue on that road until the occupation ends (grani.ru/Politics/Russia/m.232759.html).
In an interview on Hromadski television, Cemilev said that the FSB had increased its searchers in the homes of Crimean Tatars and sought to drive out of Crimea the most active members of that community in the course of a program of “the systematic violation of human rights on the peninsula.”
The Crimean Tatar leader advised all Crimean Tatars to seek legal assistance from their regional mejlises when their rights are violated, and he said that in the near future, there are plans to create an authoritative “information and legal service” there to provide them with the kind of legal aid they need.
Meanwhile, the Russian occupation authorities who banned Cemilev from his homeland last spring for five years continue their campaign against him. He said in his interview that they had called for him to appear for an interrogation. Were he to appear, Cemilev said, he almost certainly would be arrested.
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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the state oil champion Rosneft, in need of funds to service its huge debt, may receive 1.5 trillion rubles ($40.6 billion) from state coffers.
 Версии.сом |
В ДНР заявили, что вооруженные силы Украины проводят ротацию войск
Коммерсантъ Первый вице-премьер «Донецкой народной республики» (ДНР) Андрей Пургин заявил, что вооруженные силы Украины, пользуясь перемирием, ведут активную ротацию войск, подвозя новые войска и технику. «Украина ведет активную ротацию войск, подвозя новые войска. ДНР рассчитывает обменять пленных по схеме «всех на всех» 10 сентябряНТВ.ru В ДНР заявили о готовности произвести обмен пленнымиГазета.Ru ДНР: Украинские военные пользуются перемирием для ротации войскВзгляд Московский комсомолец -Mail.Ru -Версии.сом Все похожие статьи: 77 » |
Explosion In Azerbaijan Ruins Apartment Block, Buries Peopleby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
An explosion has partially destroyed an apartment building in Azerbaijan has partially destroyed an apartment building, leaving at least three people missing.
 BBC News |
Ukraine crisis: Russia could hit EU with flight ban
BBC News Russia has warned that it could block international flights through its airspace if the EU goes ahead with new sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. The EU is expected to announce shortly whether further sanctions will take effect now or be put on hold ... New EU Sanctions to Stop Fundraising by 3 Russian Oil GiantsWall Street Journal New sanctions against Russia?Deutsche Welle Russian PM: We're Not Scared Of Western SanctionsBusiness Insider NBCNews.com -Sky News -ITAR-TASS all 173 news articles » |
 Lenta.ru |
ООН сообщила о трех тысячах погибших в Донбассе
Lenta.ru С начала вооруженного конфликта на востоке Украины погибли не менее трех тысяч человек. Такие данные, как передает ИТАР-ТАСС, привел верховный комиссар ООН по правам человека Зейд бен Раад аль-Хусейн. Сколько погибло мирных жителей, военных и ополченцев, источник ... ООН: С начала конфликта на Украине погибло около 3 тысяч человекРоссийская Газета ООН: число погибших на Украине превысило 3 тысячиBBC Russian ООН: жертвами конфликта на Украине стали уже три тысячи человекРИА Новости СЕГОДНЯ -РБК -Интерфакс - Украина Все похожие статьи: 42 » |
 Reuters |
Russia, US to hold talks on 1987 arms accord
Reuters The United States says Russia has violated the treaty by testing a ground-launched cruise missile that is banned under the accord. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said last month Moscow was committed to the treaty but President Vladimir ... Russia should reveal more about a possible missile treaty violationWashington Post Russia and US to Review 1987 Arms Treaty on ThursdayThe Moscow Times Russia, US to discuss 1987 arms accord - InterfaxReuters India all 7 news articles » |
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Window on Eurasia: The Russian-Ukrainian War in 10 Questions and Answers by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, September 8 – The current ceasefire ends one phase of the war between Russia and Ukraine making this a good time to consider the impact of the conflict in the broadest terms, as Moscow commentator Konstantin Gaaze does so in ten questions and answers today (http://slon.ru/russia/pervaya_russko_ukrainskaya_voyna_v_voprosakh_i_otvetakh_-1152827.xhtml).
Gaaze’s first question is “Why did we (they) act as we (they) did with them (us)?” His answer: “President Putin considers that the Ukrainian state exists only because he agrees to its existence.” Consequently, “Moscow has acted from the false hypothesis that ‘Ukraine is not a state,’” something for which several thousand people have already paid with their lives.
But Kyiv, the Moscow writer says, has also operated from a false hypothesis.” Ukrainian leaders believed that “Russia will not provide essential assistance to the local uprising in the east of Ukraine because it is intimidated by Western sanctions.” But Moscow isn’t, and it has intervened. Consequently, Ukraine has had to fight, and many have suffered as well.
His second question is “What has been obtained and how did the war end?” In Gaaze’s view, “the East of Ukraine belongs to people whose names we in fact do not know. Kyiv has lost part of its territory but forever have been marginalized the future of the non-existence Novorossiya.”
“It will never become part of Russia,” Gaaze says, but “in the near term, it will not be part of Ukraine either. Millions of people thus are condemned to live in an enormous Transdniestria, to live between two armies, one of which (the Russian) is committed to destroy the other (the Ukrainian).” The first is only waiting for the order to do so.
Gaaze’s third question is this: “Was Putin fighting with Ukraine or with the West?” the answer is with both, but the results are different. “Kyiv did not lose the war, but it did not win it either. The West,” in contrast, “lost the first round of the new Cold War. Moscow did what it wanted,” while the West did not act decisively because of various fears about the future.
“But the first round of the cold war is not the entire war,” Gaaze says. The West can recover. NATO can rearm. “There will be other rounds,” and Russia “will not be able to win them.”
Fourth, Gaaze asks, “Why did Russia need peace? Why didn’t Moscow invade Ukraine openly with military marches as it did in Osetia?” The reason is that Russia wanted to defend itself against possible sanctions, although it could not prevent all of them, because Russia is despite everything “an economy open to the world” and thus subject to influence.
In the new world, “the ruble is not the yuan; its course is not set by the Politburo but by the exchange. The [Russian] Central Bank pays for its stability, and it has a lot of money, but not enough to pay for a third world war.”
Fifth, “did Russian soldiers die in Ukraine? And if so, why?” There is clear evidence that they did, but it is important to understand why. “They died not because they were sent there to win. And not because they were sent to save someone. They died because Moscow wanted to show Kyiv, Brussels and Washington that this was possible in principle.”
Sixth, Gaaze asks, “what awaits Ukraine?” The answer is difficult times, years of reforms and a prolonged economic crisis. Brussels and Washington will help but they will also offend by their demands. “Sanctions from Russia which will not put Ukraine on its knees will nonetheless make it very sick. At the end, Ukraine will have a European future, but only at a high price.
Gaaze’s seventh question is “What will be changed in Russia?” His answer is that “everything already has been changed. Putin has destroyed the opposition, destroyed any chance that Russia will become part of the European world. But “that does not mean that Putin will rule in Russia forever, and that Crimea guarantees him decades of popular love and devotion.”
In fact, the Moscow commentator says, “just the reverse is true.” Crimea was “a kind of shock therapy for national consciousness.” It has allowed millions of Russians to get over the “bitter taste of defeat in the earlier cold war.” But it has not filled that void, and now “looking at its leader, the people will ever more often think about what it wants from him.”
It is far from clear that Putin will be able to deal with this challenge, Gaaze says.
Eighth, “what awaits Russia in the world?” The answer is simple: “War. A long and very cold war with the West, in which Russia sooner or later will lose because it has bet on the state and not on the market, on order and stability and not on the ability of society to change.” In short, “it will lose precisely for the reason that it won the first round of this war.”
That is, because the enthusiasm the war engendered in Russia could not make the country better or better able to respond to the challenges of the future.
Gaaze’s ninth question is “Will sanctions be lifted?” Not anytime soon, he says. Russia won’t remove its embargo on Western products “sooner than a year or even two,” and “Europe will not lift its sanctions against the Russian financial sector sooner than three months from now and more likely not sooner than a year or two.
And finally he asks “Is Crimea ours?” The Moscow commentator points out that it is no easy think to seize part of a neighboring country because “a time of troubles or revolution has begun there.” That is “not simply amoral; it is impermissible, both from the point of view of law and from that of good sense.”
“Europe will never recognize the annexation of Crimea. Russia will never pull out,” Gaaze says. And as a result, “Crimea will live the life of the Israeli settlements on the West Bank, always relying on subsidies … without visas to Europe or the United States … and “proudly holding on” until the subsidies from outside end as they suddenly could.
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For the latest summary of evidence surrounding the shooting down of flight MH17 see our separate article: Evidence Review: Who Shot Down MH17?
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SkyNews footage of Russian armor outside of Mariupol September 3.
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Op-Ed Contributor: Hungary’s Crackdown on the Pressby By PHILIP N. HOWARD
The European Union should tie economic assistance to Hungary to the restoration of press freedom.
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Council of National Security and Defense of Ukraine spokesman, Volodymyr Polyovyi said that the Ukrainian army "recorded an attempted attack at Donetsk airport," but that it "is still under...
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From: AFP news agency
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| Time: 01:13 | More in News & Politics |
Russia parades detained Estonian police officer before TV cameras by Julian Borger, diplomatic editor
Moscow holds Eston Kohver for undercover intelligence mission but Tallinn says he was investigating cross-border crime
The Estonian-Russia border at Luhamaa does not look like a new Checkpoint Charlie. Set among the wooded plains that mark Nato and the European Union's eastern-most territory, the crossing is more likely to be the site of long lines of idling lorries than machine-gun nests and prisoner exchanges.
But that era of post-cold war calm may have come to an end on Friday morning, when, according to several Estonian accounts, smoke grenades detonated at an Estonian customs post, and all radio and telephone signals were jammed as armed Russian men suddenly materialised and dragged away a local official.
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