Why Soviet-Style Containment Can't Work Against Modern Russia

Во время посещения Свято-Успенского кафедрального собора.

Why Soviet-Style Containment Can't Work Against Modern Russia

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The signs of the times are everywhere. Estonia is erecting a 2.5-meter-high metal mesh fence reinforced with barbed wire along much of its border with Russia—and backing it up with high-tech drones, sensors, radars, and cameras. Neighboring Latvia has announced plans to build fences along its eastern frontier. Poland plans to build new state-of-the art watchtowers on its border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.
And, of course, Ukraine has floated plans to build a wall along its Russian frontier. A new era of containment, it appears, has begun. Russia’s neighbors, wary of polite little green men appearing to stir up new non-declared hybrid wars, are building walls and becoming vigilant.

And some leading Western commentators are calling for a revival of the spirit of George Kennan’sLong Telegram and Mr. X article, which comprised the philosophical basis for the Western policy of containing an expansionist Soviet Union. Writing in Foreign Affairs in November 2014, Rutgers University-Newark professor Alexander Motyl called on the West to “develop a serious, steady, long-term policy response to Russian expansionism. And that, of course, means containment.”
Likewise, James Goldgeier, dean of the School of International Service at American University, wrote in Slate that “a revived strategy of containment is necessary to counter Russian aggression.” Soviet-era defector Aleksandr Goldfarb made a similar argument in a recent blog post.
So, to paraphrase Kennan, can a newly aggressive Moscow “be contained by the adroit and vigilant application of counterforce at a series of constantly shifting geographical and political points, corresponding to the shifts and maneuvers” of Russian policy?
NATO’s moves at last year’s summit in Wales—setting up military facilities in the Baltic states, Poland, and Romania, rotating troops through countries on the alliance’s eastern flank, and establishing a new rapid-response force that could assist endangered members within two days—certainly seem like steps in that direction. In a speech this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Cartersaid Washington “will take all necessary steps to deter Russia’s malign and destabilizing influence, coercion, and aggression."
But 1947 this isn’t. And any serious attempt to contain Vladimir Putin’s Russia—which unlike the Soviet Union is deeply integrated into the global economy—will bear scant resemblance to its Cold War antecedent. This is because unlike the Cold War, when the world was divided into two hermetically sealed systems, today’s conflict between Moscow and the West comes at a time when Russia is very much embedded in the West and has proven adept at exploiting its transparency for nontransparent ends.
And unlike the Soviet Union, today’s Russia isn’t an ideological power seeking global hegemony through military expansion. It is essentially a crime syndicate masquerading as a state. Putin and the made men who make up his inner circle deploy corruption as a tool of statecraft in order to perpetuate their rule, expand their reach, and enrich themselves.
In a 2012 report for Chatham House, James Greene noted how Putin used “the corrupt transnational schemes that flowed seamlessly from Russia into the rest of the former Soviet space—and oozed beyond it” to extend his “shadow influence beyond Russia’s borders and develop a natural, ‘captured’ constituency.”
Toward this end, Moscow has used everything from shady energy deals, to webs of shell companies, to hot money in the City of London, to the financing of extremist political parties in Europe. Its success in doing so raises the economic cost of conflict, reduces resolve to resist Moscow, and gives Russia a ready-made lobby in Western capitals. The Kremlin has effectively weaponized globalization.
Rather than an Iron Curtain with armies facing off across the Fulda Gap, the main fault line of the current conflict is between a Western zone of transparency and a Moscow-dominated sphere of corruption. Any containment policy, therefore, needs first and foremost to limit Russia’s sphere of corruption and extend the Western zone of transparency.
“The front lines of containment are the non-Russian states in the potential path of Russian expansion. Seen in this light, a divided Ukraine occupies the same role in today’s containment strategy as a divided Germany did in yesterday’s,” Motyl wrote in Foreign Affairs. “Ukraine should therefore be the recipient of similar financial, political, and military assistance.”
Georgia and Moldova, likewise, fall into this category. But any true containment of today’s Russia must go beyond this. It also needs to include a rollback of Russia’s ability to exploit and abuse the dynamism and transparency of Western economies.
Part of this is in place with sanctions that deny Russia access to credit from Western banks. Part of it would require shedding light on the web of shadowy shell companies and structures Russia has established in Europe to launder money and stealthily buy influence, as well as bringing more transparency to things like London’s property market.
It would also involve, as Motyl notes, “constraining Russia’s ability to use energy as a weapon.” This reducing Europe’s dependency on Russian natural gas, and strict enforcement of EU antitrust legislation vis-a-vis Gazprom.
And a key weapon in reserve, of course, includes banning Russia from the SWIFT network, which manages secure financial transactions worldwide. The thing about a crime syndicate is that it needs a legitimate economy to feed off of. And denying Putin & Co. this would go a long way toward containing them.

This post appears courtesy of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
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Russia Kills 'Hundreds Of Terrorists' In Syria

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Putin says the air campaign in Syria has achieved "impressive" results as a commander suggests missile strikes from the Med.

Merkel's Party Balks at Her Migrant Policy

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German Chancellor’s decision to let migrants in puts her on a collision course with many party colleagues, posing one of the toughest challenges yet to her long political career.

Turkish Newspapers Ignore Reporting Ban

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Turkish newspapers defied a ban on coverage of the investigation into the country’s deadliest terrorist attack, as critics accused the government of censorship ahead of critical elections.

Abu Hamza's ally Haroon Aswat sentenced to 20 years by New York court 

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A mentally ill British man has been sentenced by a court in Manhattan, after pleading guilty to terrorism offences











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VIDEO: Downed drone 'a warning shot by Turkey'

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Turkey says its warplanes have shot down an unidentified aircraft which intruded into its airspace near the border with Syria.
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US-Canada relations 'must improve'

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Canadian liberal leader Justin Trudeau said US-Canada relations are "crucial" and have been "soured" under Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.

Killed US man 'wanted to leave church'

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Church members accused of beating to death a 19-year-old tell police they had been discussing his desire to leave the congregation.

Russia's resurgent drone program

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Russia's drone program, for years dormant and lagging behind the West, has resurfaced in a big way recently, with widespread use in Syria punctuated Friday by the downing inside Turkey of an unmanned vehicle that could belong to Moscow.











US condemns Iranian missile test

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The US condemns a medium range ballistic missile test by Iran as a breach of UN sanctions and a sign of its disregard for international obligations.

Afghan Security Forces Recapture Major Highway

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Afghan Security forces have yet again taken control of the Kabul-Kandahar highway and opened it for traffic. Taliban militants had closed it earlier on Friday, leaving hundreds of vehicles stuck and thousands of people stranded. The highway siege came as the Taliban withdrew from the northern city of Kunduz after weeks of intense fighting against Afghan troops backed by US airstrikes. The highway connects the major Afghan cities of Kabul and Kandahar to many parts of the country and...

Turkey: Europe’s Offer of Migrant Deal ‘Insincere’

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European Union leaders have agreed on a plan to offer Turkey $3.5 billion, together with visa-free travel and renewed accession talks, in return for stopping the flow of refugees and migrants into the EU. But as Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the offer is getting a lukewarm reception in Ankara.

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This Graphic Shows Where U.S. Troops Are Stationed Around the World 

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troops.online
President Barack Obama announced Thursday that the U.S. will maintain the current number of troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016, decreasing to 5,500 by the end of next year, instead of removing most military personnel by the end of his presidency.
The current 9,800 troops in Afghanistan is just a fraction of the U.S. forces stationed around the world. The graphic above shows other countries where the U.S. has a significant military presence.
It’s difficult to give a full picture of the number of troops serving overseas. According to the latest quarterly Department of Defense data on active duty, there are currently 150,560 U.S. military personnel serving in foreign countries. But that number excludes countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Syria as the U.S. doesn’t break down numbers of military personnel in many countries in the Middle East due to host nation sensitivities.
There are currently about 35,000 troops serving in the 20 nations in the Middle East region that make up the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, according to Commander Elissa Smith, press officer for the Middle East at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. About 3,200 of those U.S. forces are in Iraq.
The figures reported here include personnel serving in the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps. and Air Force.
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Shooting targets Shiite religious site in Saudi Arabia

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State television in Saudi Arabia is reporting that a shooting has targeted a Shiite place of worship in the kingdom’s east and that the attacker has been shot dead.









New Publisher For Forbes' Russian Edition Wants Less Politics, More Business 

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​Forbes magazine's Russian language edition, which gained a reputation for muckraking political reporting in Russia's tough journalism environment, is getting a new editorial approach just weeks after being sold by its German owners: less politics.

This Week’s Foreign Policy Must Reads 

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The Drone Papers—The Intercept
The Intercept has obtained a cache of secret documents detailing the inner workings of the U.S. military’s assassination program in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The documents, provided by a whistleblower, offer an unprecedented glimpse into Obama’s drone wars.
On first read, Drone Papers looks as significant as Snowden revelations.
This is supposed to be the age of fragmented, unfiltered, self-tailored information, and yet Putin still manages to hold his people’s gaze — and practically remove them from the political decision-making process — through one of the most traditional media. The West can’t seem to puncture Russian television’s hermetic seal, or understand what Putin has always known: The boob tube is the key to the kingdom.
Russia: The World’s Largest Information Enclave.
ISIS Against Humanity – Dominic Tierney, The Atlantic
[ISIS’s] acts of aggression and barbarism have mobilized a vast enemy coalition, which includes almost every regional power and virtually every great power (and notably the United States, often compared to the Roman Empire in its hegemonic strength). Yet, incredibly, this alliance seems incapable of rolling back the Islamic State. How can a group of insurgents declare war on humanity—and win?
Because no one sees a battle against ISIS as essential for security. Not yet. Therefore no one is willing to lose 10 soldiers to kill 1,000 ISIS warriors. One day, that will probably change, and ISIS won’t look quite so effective. It will probably take an ISIS attack in an American, British, French or Russian city.
Little Match Children—The Economist
Over the past generation, about 270m Chinese labourers have left their villages to look for work in cities. It is the biggest voluntary migration ever. Many of those workers have children; most do not take them along. The Chinese call these youngsters liushou ertong, or “left-behind children”…One result has been the stunning growth of cities and the income they generate. Another has been a vast disruption of families—and the children left behind are bearing the burden of loss.
Family (or the lack of one) provides our formative experience. This isn’t just a China story. It’s a story about a world coping with ever-more rapid change and its many consequences—both positive and negative.
How School Shootings Spread — Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker
Since Sandy Hook, there have been more than a hundred and forty school shootings in the United States. School shootings are a modern phenomenon. There were scattered instances of gunmen or bombers attacking schools in the years before Barry Loukaitis, but they were lower profile. School shootings mostly involve young white men. And, not surprisingly, given the ready availability of firearms in the United States, the phenomenon is overwhelmingly American. But, beyond those facts, the great puzzle is how little school shooters fit any kind of pattern.
Guns + intense cable TV coverage + the Internet + the adolescent tendency toward imitation = a phenomenon that makes different kinds of people behave in similar and horrifying ways.

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Obama Says Iranian Missile Test Won't Derail Nuclear Deal

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Iranian actions, such as a ballistic missile test conducted last weekend, won’t derail the nuclear agreement with Tehran, President Barack Obama said.

Obama holds news conference with South Korean President Park 

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From: Washington Post
Duration: 00:00

President Obama holds a news conference with President Park Geun-hye of the Republic of Korea on Friday, Oct. 16.
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Число жертв теракта в Анкаре возросло до 102 

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From: euronewsru
Duration: 01:06

Трое подозреваемых в совершении теракта в Анкаре 16 октября предстали в пятницу перед судом. Ранее турецкие власти сообщили, что в общей сложности по подозрению к взрывам были задержаны 12 человек. По словам премьер-министра Ахмеда Давотоглу, все они по несколько месяцев провели в Сирии и могут быть связаны либо с группировкой "Исламское государство", либо с курдскими вооруженными формированиями.
Ответственность за теракт никто на себя не взял.
В то же время турецкая оппозиция возлагает либо…
ЧИТАТЬ ДАЛЕЕ: http://ru.euronews.com/2015/10/16/ankara-bombing-ak-party-game-says-suspect
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Palestinian posing as a journalist stabs Israeli soldier 

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From: itnnews
Duration: 01:01

A Palestinian, who was posing as a journalist, has stabbed and wounded an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank. . Report by Grace Dean.

Kerry to Meet with Netanyahu on Israel Violence 

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From: CNN
Duration: 06:22

Ron Dermer, former Senior Advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks with CNN's Jim Sciutto about the violence in the Middle East.

Vets: Syria Not Another Afghanistan for Russia 

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From: VOAvideo
Duration: 02:36

Russia's military strikes in Syria against enemies of President Bashar al-Assad have raised fears of a proxy war against U.S.-armed rebels. The concerns echo the Soviet Union's 1979 intervention in Afghanistan. Russian veterans of the Afghan War, however, say a similar conflict in Syria is unlikely as long as ground troops are not involved. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Moscow.
Originally published at - http://www.voanews.com/media/video/syria-not-another-afghanistan-for-russia-veterans-say/3010454.html

21-Year-Old Arrested for Fake FBI Credentials - WKRG

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WKRG

21-Year-Old Arrested for Fake FBI Credentials
WKRG
Mobile Police say they have arrested a man accused of flashing fake FBI credentials at a bar on Dauphin Street. 21-year-old Joshua Gipson of Hattiesburg, Mississippi was taken into custody early Friday morning. Police say Gipson was asked to leave ...

This could be a tipping point for commodities - CNBC

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CNBC

This could be a tipping point for commodities
CNBC
Analysts believe China's economy must show improvement, or at least stop declining, before some base metals and other commodities see a real rebound. The concern is that any unexpected weakness in the data could mean a hard landing is ahead.

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Biden, Clinton and the FBI - Washington Post (blog)

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Washington Post (blog)

Biden, Clinton and the FBI
Washington Post (blog)
It is unclear whether two storylines have crossed. In one, Vice President Joe Biden is purportedly getting “close” to a decision — or not. In the other, FBI agents are peeved that the White House seemed to discount their investigation. The Post ...

and more »

Keeping U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

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Readers criticize President Obama’s reversal of his pledge to withdraw all troops.

Russia Is Freaking Out Its Northern Neighbors - VICE News

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VICE News

Russia Is Freaking Out Its Northern Neighbors
VICE News
If actions speak louder than words, the nations bordering the Baltic Sea are starting to scream bloody murder about Russia. A regular stream of reports is coming out of Nordic and Baltic states about their efforts to modernize and expand military ...

Russia’s Military Revival, Tensions With Turkey, and Putin’s Fake Good News

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This week, Steven Lee Meyers and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times report that U.S. military experts are impressed by the capabilities displayed by Russian forces in Syria. Also, Leonid Bershidsky of Bloomberg View exposes the lie behind Putin’s assessment of the Russian economy.

Can Containment Work Against Modern Russia? - The Atlantic

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The Atlantic

Can Containment Work Against Modern Russia?
The Atlantic
The signs of the times are everywhere. Estonia is erecting a 2.5-meter-high metal mesh fence reinforced with barbed wire along much of its border with Russia—and backing it up with high-tech drones, sensors, radars, and cameras. Neighboring Latvia has ... 
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RT-Bloomberg-Yahoo News
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Russia Kills 'Hundreds Of Terrorists' In Syria - Sky News

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Daily Beast

Russia Kills 'Hundreds Of Terrorists' In Syria
Sky News
President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of former Soviet nations in Kazakhstan the Russianmilitary has achieved "impressive" results in Syria in the last two-and-a-half weeks. "Dozens of control facilities and ammunition depots, hundreds of terrorists ...
Cuba Is Intervening in Syria to Help Russia. Its Not the First Time Havanas ...Daily Beast
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Putin touts 'impressive' results from Russia's bombing in SyriaToronto Star 
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 -ABC News-CNN
 
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In pictures: The shamans of Siberia, Russia's Tuvans

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In pics: The nomads of the Tuva Republic still practice shamanism









Saudi Arabia's Oil War With Russia - Bloomberg View

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Bloomberg View

Saudi Arabia's Oil War With Russia
Bloomberg View
At a recent investment forum, Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil company, complained about the Saudis' entry into the Polish market. "They're dumping actively," he said. Other Russian oil executives are worried, too. "Isn't ...
Russia faces battle with Saudi Arabia over European oil market shareRT

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US Ambassador: Iran Missile Test 'Clear Violation' of UN Sanctions 

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U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said Friday that Iran's test of a medium-range ballistic missile last week was a violation of U.N. sanctions. "The Security Council prohibition on Iran's ballistic missile activities, as well as the arms embargo, remain in place and we will continue to press the Security Council for an appropriate response to Iran's disregard for its international obligations," Power said in a statement.   Iranian state media reported the successful test of a new guided, long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile on October 10. Power added that the missile would be "inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon."

Leaders of France’s Socialist Party Defy Its Orthodoxy

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Prime Minister Manuel Valls and the economy minister, Emmanuel Macron, are charting a more moderate course and angering the old guard as the party struggles for direction.









Vets: Syria Not Another Afghanistan for Russia

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Russia's military strikes in Syria against enemies of President Bashar al-Assad have raised fears of a proxy war against U.S.-armed rebels. The concerns echo the Soviet Union's 1979 intervention in Afghanistan. Russian veterans of the Afghan War, however, say a similar conflict in Syria is unlikely as long as ground troops are not involved. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports from Moscow.

Greek Lawmakers Set to Back Changes to Unlock $2.3 Billion in Loans 

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The vote on Friday is the first in a series of austerity measures that the Greek Parliament will be asked to approve to meet creditors’ demands.









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Page 7

Gunman Killed After Wounding Four At Shi'ite Hall In Saudi Arabia

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A gunman opened fire at a Shi'ite house of worship in eastern Saudi Arabia on October 16, wounding four people before he was shot dead by Saudi security forces.

VIDEO: High speed run: Women race in high heels in Paris

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Women have put their best feet forward and raced in shoes with more than 8cm-high heels, in the 2015 Sarenza High Heel Race in Paris.

U.S. confirms Iran tested nuclear-capable ballistic missile

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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States has confirmed that Iran tested a medium-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear weapon in "clear violation" of a United Nations Security Council ban on ballistic missile tests, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
  

Authorities upgrade death toll from Turkish peace rally blasts to 102 - Fox News

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BGN NEWS

Authorities upgrade death toll from Turkish peace rally blasts to 102
Fox News
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkish authorities have increased the death toll from the suicide bombings that targeted a peace rally in the capital Ankara to 102 from the previous 99. The Ankara Chief Prosecutor's office said Friday one of the hundreds of people ...
Death toll of Ankara twin blasts rises to 102Fulton News

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Italian police find more than 20 tonnes of hashish in cargo ship

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ROME (Reuters) - Italian police found more than 20 tonnes of hashish with an estimated street value of 200 million euros ($230 million) hidden in the hull of a cargo ship, a statement said on Friday.









  

German Government On Defensive Over Spying Reports

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The German government is under pressure to respond to reports that the country's intelligence agency spied on the U.S. and other allies.   German media, including weekly Der Spiegel and public broadcaster rbb-Inforadio, reported that the BND spy agency eavesdropped on targets in the United States and Europe until the fall of 2013.   The claim is particularly sensitive because of Chancellor Angela Merkel's pronouncement in October 2013, following reports her cellphone...

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'Thousands' from ex-Soviet bloc with IS

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Up to 7,000 people from the former Soviet Union are fighting for so-called Islamic State in Syria, says Vladimir Putin.

Saudi Arabia Halts Government Spending Due to Oil Price Fall

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Saudi Arabia has reportedly resorted to spending cuts to cope with a budget deficit caused by the steep decline of oil prices over the past year.
Bloomberg reported Oct. 8 that the Saudi Finance Ministry has directed government agencies not to embark on any new spending initiatives for the rest of the year. It also froze government hiring and promotions, suspended the purchase of furniture and vehicles and urged revenue collectors to accelerate their operations.
The report cited two sources who requested anonymity because the information had not yet become public. The Finance Ministry told the news service that it had no comment on the report.
The primary reason for the spending cuts is the drop in oil prices since June 2014, from over $110 per barrel to around $50 today; oil accounts for around 90 percent of Saudi revenue. But the kingdom’s finances also have been strained by its involvement in wars in Syria and Yemen.
As a result, Saudi Arabia’s ratio of debt to GDP is in danger of rising to 33 percent in five years, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The report says the Saudi budget has gone from a surplus to a deficit of more than 20 percent of GDP, more than twice as deep as those that beset the United States and Britain in 2008 and 2009, the darkest period of the recent recession.
The IMF says the drop in oil prices also has affected other leading crude exporters, including Kuwait, Russia and Venezuela.
Nations rich in natural resources enjoyed “an exceptional commodity price boom during the 2000s,” the report says, enriching these countries, including Saudi Arabia. But it stresses, “[C]ommodity prices are volatile, unpredictable, and subject to long-lasting shocks. … [C]ommodity exporters will need to adjust to a – possibly protracted – period of lower export and fiscal revenues.”
To manage the deficit, Riyadh had no choice but to rein in spending in the fourth quarter of this year, according to John Sfakianakis, the Middle East director at Ashmore Group, a British investment managing concern. In an interview with Bloomberg from Riyadh, he added, “Saudi Arabia will have to implement spending cuts and efficiencies in order to avoid a runaway fiscal deficit in 2016.”
The spending cuts aren’t Saudi Arabia’s first effort to manage its deficit. Bloomberg quoted other anonymous sources as saying Riyadh had planned to raise at least $24 billion from bond sales by the end of 2015. This was in response to a drop in the kingdom’s foreign assets, which at that time had fallen for the seventh consecutive month to $654.5 billion, its lowest in more than two years.
Despite the deficit, however, Saudi Arabia won’t stop investing in energy, including solar power as well as oil and gas, according to the kingdom’s oil minister, Ali al-Naimi. The Saudi Press Agency reports that he told the G-20 Energy Ministers’ meeting in Istanbul on Oct. 2 that his country is committed to making clean, efficient energy readily available today and in the future.
This article originally appeared on Oilprice.com
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Clinton aide Huma Abedin testifies before Benghazi committee

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, testified Friday before the House committee investigating the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, as the panel faced fresh criticism from Republicans and Democrats about the purpose of its inquiry....

Turkey Says EU Deal Is Far From Completion

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Senior Turkish officials said a deal with the European Union to jointly tackle the refugee crisis is far from being completed, and Turkey is pressing the bloc to set up a safe zone inside Syria instead of focusing on tighter border security to stem mass migration.

Turkey grumbles as EU hails deal to stem migration

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ISTANBUL/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Turkish leaders accused Europeans on Friday of treating their country shabbily and warned that a new deal with the EU to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe was not completely finalised.









  

Obama's Promises on Troop Withdrawal Come Back to Haunt Him 

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From: WSJDigitalNetwork
Duration: 01:28

President Obama's announcement that the U.S. military will reverse course and keep a residual force in Afghanistan serves as a cautionary tale for 2016 presidential candidates. Jerry Seib explains why. Photo:AP
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Turkey shoots down aircraft near Syrian border 

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From: CNN
Duration: 01:18

Turkey's air force shot down an unidentified aircraft -- reported an unmanned drone -- that entered Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, the Turkish armed forces said Friday in a statement.

China nuclear deal 'threatens national security' – intelligence sources - RT

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RT

China nuclear deal 'threatens national security' – intelligence sources
RT
Security sources have expressed alarm at giving the People's Republic of China (PRC) such intimate access to Britain's energy infrastructure, warning the UK could be rushing into an agreement with Beijing without considering the threats. “There is a ...
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Russia, US agree on all technical questions over Syria flight safety - Russian ... - RT

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RT

Russia, US agree on all technical questions over Syria flight safety - Russian ...
RT
"All technical matters have already been agreed upon, with Russian and US lawyers now cross checking the text of the document," Colonel-General Andrey Kartapolov told a media briefing on Friday. According to Kartapolov, the memorandum on flight safety ...
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Bloomberg: рекордное количество граждан России хотят эмигрировать в США - Коммерсантъ

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НТВ.ru

Bloomberg: рекордное количество граждан России хотят эмигрировать в США
Коммерсантъ
Американский госдепартамент сообщил, что более 265,086 тыс. россиян в этом году подали заявку на получение грин-карты в США, передает Bloomberg. При этом ежегодная квота на Россию составляет 4 тыс. удостоверений. По данным агенства, число желающих эмигрировать в США ...
Все больше россиян ненавидит Соединенные штатыРадиостанция ЭХО МОСКВЫ
В этом году рекордное число россиян подали заявки на переезд в СШАИзвестия
Госдеп заявил о рекордном числе россиян, пожелавших уехать в СШАНТВ.ru
NEWSru.com -РБК
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Russia Sets Up Contact With Turkish Military After Drone Plane Shot Down

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Russia's Defense Ministry says it has established direct contact with Turkey's military about Russian military aircraft in Syria, just hours after Turkey shot down an unidentified drone aircraft that crossed from Syria into Turkish airspace.

Assertive Russia Weighs Afghan Perils, Past And Present

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Russia has hinted at boosting its military and security involvement in Afghanistan, but faces the added challenge of a troubled history.

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Uneasy Triangle: The United States, China, and Russia and the New Global Order 

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Throughout the Cold War era, the triangular relationship formed between the United States, China, and Russia was central to forming modern global order. Today’s geopolitical and economic challenges have brought renewed urgency to understanding the evolving motivations of each of these powers in their relationships with one another.

‘Russia has De Facto Occupied Armenia,’ Yerevan Expert Says

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 Paul Goble

            Staunton, October 14 – Moscow has taken control of Armenia’s economy and restricted its domestic and foreign policy options to the point that one Yerevan commentator says it has “de facto” occupied that south Caucasus country, a possible indication of just what Vladimir Putin may hope to do in other post-Soviet states if he has the chance.

            Ruben Mergrabyan, the editor of the Russian Service of the 1in.am internet portal, says that Moscow has moved to establish its control over Armenia by “cleverly playing” on the Karabakh issue and by exploiting Armenia’s dependence on energy supplies from abroad (ru.krymr.mobi/a/27307755.html).

            The first, he says, helps the Russian government to silence any objections to what it is doing inside Armenia while the second excludes from his country all foreign firms and especially energy suppliers like neighboring Iran that might allow Yerevan to take a more balanced approach.

            Moscow used both the fear of Azerbaijani attacks and of the loss of energy supplies to force Yerevan to join the Eurasian Economic Union when in Mehrabyan’s words, the Russian side “made a proposal that [Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan] could not refuse.”

            What has occurred in Armenia is something “unnatural,” the Armenian commentator continues. It is next to Iran, a major exporter of gas, but it imports its gas from Siberia, as the result of agreements that do little more than “legalize [Armenia’s] occupation.” Indeed, under the terms of those accords, Yerevan can’t make a deal with Tehran unless Moscow agrees

            Russia’s goal, he says, “is to liquidate any chance for Armenia to establish economic ties with Iran.” Without such ties, Armenia must seek to go through one of its three other neighbors, with one of which (Azerbaijan) it is at war, with a second (Turkey) longstanding hostility, and with the third (Georgia) it has difficulties precisely because of Yerevan’s Russian orientation.

            Moscow has then used this situation to take control of Armenia’s domestic energy infrastructure, acquiring ownership in “property for debt” swaps that Yerevan has little choice but to accept, given that its own economy is in a shambles.  But Russian control imposes new and heavy costs.

            Mehrabyan says that in Armenia “Russian government companies now are involved in activities which resemble the methods of organized criminal groups” bringing with them the illegalities characteristic of their branches in Russia itself, including massive corruption and direct involvement in Armenian politics on behalf of Moscow.

            At the same time, Moscow has done everything it can to “undermine the work of the OSCE Minsk Group,” claiming it supports a resolution but in fact providing offensive arms to Azerbaijan and looking the other way when Baku officials make statements suggesting they are about to launch an attack on Armenian-controlled portions of Azerbaijan.

            That has allowed Moscow to issue statements suggesting that it alone “can defend Armenia” not only from Azerbaijan but also “from its historic enemy.” All this, Mehrabyan says, has left Armenia “a hostage of the imperial policy of Russia,” one whose dimensions are obscured by massive Kremlin-backed propaganda about a possible war with Azerbaijan.

            Now it appears Moscow is about to take the next step in this neo-imperialist game, inserting its own “pocket” candidate for president of Armenia, Ara Abramyan, the chairman of the Union of Armenians of Russia, who recently returned to Yerevan to signal his political plans (nr2.com.ua/News/politics_and_society/Varyagi-Putina-planiruyut-uchastvovat-v-vyborah-v-Armenii-108654.html).

            Mehrabyan says that Abramyan’s involvement in Armenian politics not only threatens to turn Armenia into something Russia can trade but also represents “the final degradation of the [Armenian] political system.”  Indeed, the commentator says, for Vladimir Putin, Abramyan is “the Armenian Yanukovich.”

            One can only hope that that Russian project in Armenia will suffer the same fate the analogous Russian project met in Ukraine.  But if Mehrabyan is correct, the chances of that unless there are serious changes in Yerevan’s relations with its own people and the outside world are significantly less.


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More safety talks with Russian Federation coming

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The US and Russian militaries will hold another round of talks on Wednesday about air safety in the skies above Syria as the former Cold War foes seek to avoid an accidental clash while they wage uncoordinated air strikes, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.
Russian fighter jet came into close proximity with a USA air force jet over Syria on October 10 to identify it, “not to scare it”, Russia’s state ITAR-TASS news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying on Wednesday (Oct 14). A USA official confirmed the arrangement, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Russian foreign ministry said that Russian fighter jets destroyed a building in Aleppo from where ISIS militants prepared to carry out suicide attacks and rigged vehicles with explosives. While the Telegraph reports on the soundtrack additions to a recent airstrike video, the action-movie music isn’t just confined to videos with, well, action in them.
Russian airstrikes have had no demonstrated progress yet strengthening the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to Warren.
Both Russian Federation and the United States “have a consensus on the technical aspects” of how parties to the agreement will conduct themselves to assure the safety of their pilots, but they still have a few final details over the wording of the agreement to work out, the official said.
“We will take all necessary steps to deter Russia’s malign and destabilizing influence, coercion and aggression”, Carter said. “The USA has been there for a year and a half, and we have seen not one bullet from them, nor have we seen anyone getting killed by them”.
“Yes, this is Russia; this is the Russian army”.
“Let me tell you [pause] about Russian Federation”, Moussa said in introducing the footage. “Resolving the matter through politics is the only solution that most suits the interests of the Syrian people”, the editorial said.
On the other hand, when the strategy has failed, Putin has not shied from going it alone, launching the air campaign in Syria just two days after his speech at the United Nations calling for a coalition, and giving the USA just an hour’s notice, via diplomats in Baghdad.
Russian and U.S. to discuss air safety
Last updated: Friday 16 October 2015
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French Prosecutors Probe Dominique Strauss-Kahn's Failed Firm

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