Hagel Lauds US Service Members in Farewell Speech
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Hagel Lauds US Service Members in Farewell Speechby webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News)
Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday thanked the men and women of the armed forces for what he said was their unequaled service and sacrifice as he gave a farewell address at a military facility outside Washington. Hagel, who announced in November that he would be leaving his position after two years, told those in the service that they had his deepest gratitude. "The things I have most respected and admired are your dignity, your courage and your dedication," he said. Hagel said the men and women who devote their lives to America's security were the architects of the 21st-century world. President Barack Obama attended the tribute. He called Hagel a "true American patriot" and thanked his defense chief for his friendship, counsel, character and integrity. Hagel will stay on the job until the U.S. Senate confirms his replacement. Obama nominated former deputy defense secretary Ashton Carter to take over for Hagel.
 Wall Street Journal |
Russia Links Loom Larger as Greece Seeks Debt Relief
Wall Street Journal Statements this week by members of the new government that distance Greece from European Union sanctions against Moscow have made officials in other European capitals wonder whether Greece might obstruct EU policy toward Russia over Moscow's ... Alarm bells ring over Syriza's Russian linksFinancial Times Could Syriza win tilt Greece's foreign policy towards Russia?BBC News Greek Government Questions EU Bid for Russia SanctionsBloomberg Reuters-EurActiv-The Australian (blog) all 8,539 news articles » |
Freedom on Decline Worldwide, Report Saysby webdesk@voanews.com (William Gallo)
The state of global freedom declined for the ninth consecutive year in 2014, according to global watchdog Freedom House's annual report released Wednesday. VOA's William Gallo has more.
 РИА Новости |
Журналист FT сообщил, что главы МИД ЕС не планируют вводить экономические санкции против России
Коммерсантъ Журналист британской газеты Financial Times Питер Шпигель сообщил, что проект заявления, который министры иностранных дел стран ЕС могут принять по итогам встречи 29 января, не предусматривает введения экономических санкций в отношении России, передает «РИА ... Польша выступает за введение новых санкций против РоссииГазета.Ru Польша выступает за усиление санкций ЕС против России, - МИДРБК Украина Главы МИД Евросоюза не намерены вводить новые экономические санкции против РФНовая газета в Южном Федеральном РИА Новости -Новостной проект INFOX.ru -Взгляд Все похожие статьи: 38 » |
Ukraine Clamps Down on Travel to and From Rebel Areasby By RICK LYMAN and ANDREW E. KRAMER
After the recent implementation of new border restrictions — requiring a special pass that can be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain — a policy of isolating and frustrating rebel-held regions has taken a major and maddening turn.
Chilean MPs Approve Measure Allowing Civil Unionsby webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
After nearly four years of legislative wrangling, legislators in socially conservative Chile on Wednesday gave the green light to civil unions for same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples. The bill, known as the Civil Union Accord, will give many of the legal rights afforded to married couples to an estimated two million Chileans. Most of those expected to benefit from the civil unions are unmarried heterosexual couples, though the move is also seen as a big step forward for gay rights. "Civil unions are an essential institution for unmarried couples that live together," said government spokesman Alvaro Elizalde. "This is a legal status that does not discriminate and that will be applied to all types of couples, and most importantly, that recognizes the different types of families we have in our country, giving protection to all of them." The bill now heads back to President Michelle Bachelet to be signed into law. In her second term in office, Bachelet has been pushing through legislation at a dizzying pace, including a recently approved tax reform bill, changes to Chile's stratified education system and an overhaul of dictatorship-era electoral rules. "There's been a profound cultural change in Chilean society, which is reflected in [the fact that] a majority of people disapprove of discrimination and segregation based on someone's sexual orientation or their gender identity," Rolando Jimenez, spokesman for LGBT rights group Movilh, told Reuters. Chile, one of Latin America's richest countries, is still heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, which has traditionally considered homosexuality sinful. "I feel very proud that we took this historic step," said Senate President Isabel Allende, daughter of the late former President Salvador Allende. "I believe we've made progress for the respect, the rights and the dignity of people."
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Theologians Cast Doubt on Morality of Drone Strikesby webdesk@voanews.com (Jerome Socolovsky)
In 2006, stirred by photos of U.S. soldiers mistreating Iraqi prisoners, a group of American faith leaders and academics launched the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. It played an important role in getting Congress to investigate, and the president to ban, torture. Last weekend, many of the same individuals met again on the idyllic campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary, and called for an immediate halt to targeted killings by drones. Drones -- or unmanned aircraft -- are a highly secretive, yet crucial, part of U.S. counterterrorism strategy. They are typically flown in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, and steered from the ground by pilots at U.S. air bases. But theologians at the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare said they are morally troubling. “It is a video game!” said Rev. George Hunsinger, a Princeton theologian and the driving force behind the anti-torture campaign. “You see these soldiers, these pilots, joking in the cockpit, and you see what is on the screen, the crosshairs and so on - they are blowing people up as they cross the street, in a sidewalk. On what grounds?” Proponents say drone warfare keeps U.S. troops out of harm's way, while minimizing civilian casualties. Human rights groups say civilian casualties are hard to count because of the secrecy of a program partly run by the CIA. Around 500 strikes have been counted since the program began in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S., but activists note that most were carried out under President Barack Obama’s administration since 2009. Earlier this week, Obama indicated they will continue in Yemen, despite the leadership crisis there. “Because the alternative,” the president said, “would be massive U.S. deployments in perpetuity, which would create its own blowback and cause probably more problems than it would potentially solve.” Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite, former president of the Chicago Theological Seminary, called Obama’s reasoning “bogus.” “Drones allow you to use violence in situations where you would never send in boots on the ground,” she said. “So that it actually expands the theater of war. And you could make a case now that drones make the whole world a battlefield.” Catholic University international relations professor Maryann Cusimano-Love warned that American technological superiority on drones would only go so far. She said drug traffickers have delivered packages with drones, while several have been discovered flying over a French nuclear plant. “How is the world going to look as others come on to use these technologies, in the same way that we have?” she said. “I think that has been a real blind spot.” Only two days after her warning, the threat came into focus when a toy drone flown onto the White House lawn triggered a major security alert. A poll last year found that 56 percent of Americans support drone strikes, while another 18 percent are not sure. But Sudanese-born Imam Mohamed Magid said drone strikes are a recruitment tool for extremists. “Every time we take one person, and then we take the life of innocent people, we create more terrorists,” he said. Some participants argued that drone strikes could be justifiable in extreme cases. But Reverend Bob Moore of the Coalition for Peace Action said such cases don’t exist. “If drones existed at the time of Adolf Hitler, I personally would probably have been in favor of using one to try to stop the Nazis,” he said. “But in the real world today, we don’t have that kind of situation.” Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa said the Catholic Church is worried that the U.S. is responding militarily too often to crises. “What’s the old saying? If the only tool you have is a hammer, then every problem seems to be a nail," he said.
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 BBC Russian |
Кастро требует от США вернуть Гуантанамо
BBC Russian Куба потребовала от США возвращения военной базы Гуантанамо – по словам кубинских властей, это одно из условий для нормализации отношений между двумя странами. Президент Кубы Рауль Кастро также призвал Вашингтон отменить торговое эмбарго и исключить Кубу из ... Мадуро назвал преступлением эмбарго США против КубыРИА Новости ОБЩЕСТВО: КУБА-КАСТРО-ПИСАТЕЛЬ-ВСТРЕЧАeuronews Рауль Кастро потребовал от США прекратить экономическую блокаду КубыКорреспондент.net Взгляд -Федеральное агентство новостей No.1 Все похожие статьи: 27 » |
Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a government effort to shut down Memorial, the country’s oldest human rights advocacy group.
 BBC News |
How Russia outfoxes its enemies
BBC News Russia's annexation of Crimea last year caught almost everyone off guard. The Russian military disguised its actions, and denied them - but those "little green men" who popped up in the Black Sea peninsula were a textbook case of the Russian practice ... |
Strains in US-Russia Relations Predate Current Crisisby webdesk@voanews.com (Pamela Dockins)
There are signs of increased strains in U.S. relations with Russia. On Monday, the U.S. accused three Russian citizens in the United States of having ties to a Russian spy ring, a charge Russia denies. The charges follow stepped up U.S. criticism of Russia for what Western powers say is Moscow's continued support of separatists in Ukraine. Analysts say relations between the two countries had begun to fray even before these two incidents. Russia dismissed charges that the three men accused by the U.S. were part of a Russian spy ring. It is the U.S. that is at fault, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. “Russia-American relations have been in a difficult period for a long time. It looks like the U.S., acting under the principle ‘the worse, the better’ has decided to start another round of anti-Russian campaigning,” said Lukashevich. The U.S. and Russia traded accusations over the spying incident just days after an attack in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol left dozens of civilians dead. The attack spurred a new round of Western criticism against Russia, which the U.S. and its allies say is arming and supporting separatists in Ukraine. Russia’s interference in Ukraine could make it difficult for the U.S. to cooperate with Russia on other issues said Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who spoke at the Brookings Institution. “That kind of cooperation can’t continue when Russia tramples on the rules of the international systems that it seeks to benefit from. When it bites off pieces of its neighbors’ territory and tries to bully them into economic and political submission,” said Nuland. Problems in U.S. - Russia relations started long before these current incidents, according to Russia analyst Stephen Blank. “I have been saying for years that the U.S. needs to re-think its policies towards Russia, even before Ukraine and even before the latest spying incident,” said Blank. He told VOA’s Russia Service that Moscow has been carrying out aggression against its neighbors since at least 2008. “The idea that we can have business as usual under Putin, even if he leaves Ukraine, I think is an illusion. This is a government that is bent on undermining the whole structure of security in Europe in order to keep Putin in power,” he said. The United States has been re-thinking its relationship with Russia, said Russian Studies director Leon Aron of the American Enterprise Institute. But he thinks additional sanctions may not bring the desired results in Ukraine. “Putin does not care at this point about, you know, any further sanctions. In fact, if you read the Russian analysis, the Russian press, their sense is that pretty much they have absorbed all of the pain through sanctions, through diplomatic isolation and pressure, and now they might as well, you know, go for it. Go for broke,” said Aron. In spite of tensions over Ukraine, there are areas of cooperation, said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “Obviously, there are issues where we feel that we can continue to work together on - the Iran negotiations. Those talks are ongoing,” said Psaki. Psaki said that on the Ukraine crisis and other issues the U.S. has been very open about its engagement with Russia, but hopes that areas of cooperation can continue.
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Rebels Claim Fresh Advances In Eastern Ukraineby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine claim they have nearly encircled government forces in a strategic town.
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 РИА Новости |
СМИ: почти 70% россиян не одобряют публикацию религиозных карикатур
РИА Новости Подавляющее число респондентов осуждают нападение на редакцию Charlie Hebdo в Париже. Главной причиной трагедии называется публикация "провокационных" карикатур на пророка Мухаммеда, оскорбляющих чувства верующих. Акция протеста против публикаций, оскорбляющих ... Большинство россиян полагают, что журналисты Charlie Hebdo «сами напросились».Радиостанция <<Серебряный Дождь>> Во Франции 8-летнего школьника заподозрили в поддержке терроризмаПодробности Опрос: более половины россиян назвали провокацией публикацию карикатур на пророка МухаммедаГазета.Ru Globalural.com -Вести.Ru -Медиагруппа "Звезда" Все похожие статьи: 91 » |
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided again to strip Russia of the right to vote or take part in the assembly's governing bodies until April, 2015.
 Главная | Deutsche Welle |
Вице-канцлер Германии выступает против ужесточения антироссийских санкций
Ведомости Берлин не уверен в необходимости срочного пересмотра санкций, следует из заявления вице-канцлера Германии, лидера Социал-демократической партии Зигмара Габриэля, выступившего против ужесточения антироссийских мер. «Немецкое правительство не уверено, что сейчас ... Вице-канцлер Германии против новых антироссийских санкцийНИА – Федерация Вице-канцлер Германии выступил против ужесточения санкций в отношении РоссииСводка Украинских и Мировых Новостей Ужесточать санкции против России преждевременно - вице-канцлер ФРГМедиагруппа "Звезда" Все похожие статьи: 21 » |
As Ground Shifts, Obama Reviews Middle East Strategyby webdesk@voanews.com (Luis Ramirez)
The death of Saudi Arabia’s king, the collapse of a U.S.-friendly government in Yemen and a problematic relationship with Israel’s leadership are presenting a new set of complications for the Obama administration and its Middle East policy. Not only is the U.S. leader dealing with adversaries in Iran, the Islamic State and al-Qaida, but he is now juggling trouble with traditional allies as well. President Obama had a prickly relationship with the late Saudi King Abdullah, but paying his respects to successor King Salman this week marked a fresh start. Leading a high level delegation, Obama traveled to Saudi Arabia at a time when the U.S. is most depending on the kingdom as an island of stability. The Middle East suddenly has become even more complex, with the collapse of Yemen’s government and the fight against Islamic State militants and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The challenges are reason for the Obama administration to strengthen its ties to the Saudis, who have joined the U.S. in efforts to fight the Islamic State group and AQAP. Before cutting short a visit to India to head to Saudi Arabia, President Obama again ruled out any major deployment of U.S. troops in the Middle East. “Our efforts to go after terrorist networks inside of Yemen without a occupying U.S. army, but rather by partnering and intelligence-sharing with that local government, is the approach that we’re going to need to take. And that continues to be the case. The alternative would be for us to play whack-a-mole every time there is a terrorist actor inside of any given country, to deploy U.S. troops. And that’s not a sustainable strategy,” said Obama. Finding a sustainable strategy in a quickly changing landscape is turning out to be a challenge for the Obama administration, said analyst Michael O’Hanlon. “I think part of what they’re trying to do is just hold on - it’s an ugly time in terms of events and many relationships and I don’t think there’s any plausible grand vision that’s pointing in a happier direction even if it works out as theoretically projected,” said O’Hanlon. And then there is the complex relationship with the closest U.S. ally in the region, Israel, which - like Saudi Arabia - opposes Obama’s efforts to engage Iran in nuclear negotiations and any U.S. moves that could be seen as strengthening Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel’s prime minister, has always been a guest at the White House but won’t be when he visits in March. U.S. lawmakers invited him to Washington without first consulting President Obama, and the U.S. leader has decided not to meet with him. Former State Department adviser Aaron David Miller said that while political and personal relations are troubled, the relationship as a whole is too big to fail. “I don’t think, frankly, overall this is going to affect in any galactic way the nature of the relationship,” said Miller. Adding to tensions in the region was Iran-backed Hezbollah claiming responsibility for a missile attack on an Israeli convoy at the Israel-Lebanon border Wednesday. Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery fire, raising concerns that missteps by either side could cause yet another conflict to escalate - and a potential new headache for the U.S. administration.
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 Общероссийская общественно-политическая электронная газета The |
Польша выступает за подготовку новых санкций в отношении России
Коммерсантъ Как сообщил заместитель министра иностранных дел Польши Рафал Тшасковский Польскому агентству печати, республика выступает за рассмотрение возможности введения новых санкций против России на экстренной встрече глав МИД ЕС, которая пройдет 29 января в Брюсселе. Польша выступает за введение новых санкций против России1news.az Европа не будет вводить против России новые санкции?Общероссийская общественно-политическая электронная газета The Польша выступает за усиление санкций Евросоюза против РоссииАпостроф euronews Все похожие статьи: 24 » |
 BBC News |
Ukraine conflict: EU to debate fresh Russia sanctions
BBC News EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss imposing further sanctions onRussia following an upsurge in fighting in east Ukraine. The meeting was called after pro-Russian rebels attacked the port of Mariupol at the weekend. The EU and ... Exclusive: EU considers capital markets curbs among new Russia sanctionsReuters Russia suspends role in Europe's human rights watchdogU.S. News & World Report Russia Links Loom Larger as Greece Seeks Debt ReliefWall Street Journal BBC News-Voice of America all 4,511 news articles » |
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BBC News |
Ukraine conflict: EU to debate fresh Russia sanctions
BBC News EU foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss imposing further sanctions onRussia following an upsurge in fighting in east Ukraine. The meeting was called after pro-Russian rebels attacked the port of Mariupol at the weekend. The EU and ... Exclusive: EU considers capital markets curbs among new Russia sanctionsReuters Russia Links Loom Larger as Greece Seeks Debt ReliefWall Street Journal Ukraine conflict: Russia boycotts Europe rights body PACEBBC News Financial Times -U.S. News & World Report all 4,185 news articles » |
 НТВ.ru |
В США призвали НАТО сосредоточиться на разработке инновационного оружия
РБК Замминистра обороны США Роберт Уорк посоветовал странам НАТО сосредоточиться на разработке инновационных вооружений, передает Reuters. По мнению Уорка, это поможет обогнать растущие военные возможности США, Китая и других стран. Чиновник рассказал, что ... Растущими возможностями России озадачились страны-члены НАТОBFM.Ru Американцы призвали НАТО разрабатывать инновационное оружие против России и КитаяКомсомольская правда США призвали НАТО разрабатывать инновационное оружие против России и КитаяНТВ.ru Lenta.ru -Маяк -Аргументы и факты Все похожие статьи: 18 » |
A top adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Senior NATO Official Due In Georgiaby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL)
NATO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow is scheduled to travel to Georgia on January 29.
 Аргументы и факты |
Горбачев заявил об угрозе перерастания холодной войны с США в «горячую»
РБК Экс-президент СССР Михаил Горбачев обвинил США во втягивании России в «холодную войну» и предостерег о том, что она может привести к «горячей». Не исключено, что США и Евросоюз могут «рискнуть» и пойти на реальную войну с Россией, считает он. Экс-президент СССР ... Горбачев заявил, что США могут втянуть Россию в «горячую войну»Газета.Ru Горбачёв считает, что США могут рискнуть развязать настоящую войнуНТВ.ru Горбачев опасается «горячей войны» с СШААргументы и факты Взгляд-Mail.Ru-АПА Все похожие статьи: 59 » |
The leader of Rome’s Jewish community was arrested by police on Tuesday night along with a TV crew who were found trying to escape Auschwitz after they had been locked in following filming for an anniversary show.
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The new Greek government is expected to veto further sanctions against Russia today, amid fears the radical left-wing party could be moving closer to the Kremlin.
British Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian Bear long-range bombers which had flown close to British airspace, the country's Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Thursday.
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Российское правительство намерено потратить более двух триллионов рублей на поддержание экономики на...
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From: Радио Свобода
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 Газета.Ru |
«Медведи» долетели до Британии
Газета.Ru Российские стратегические бомбардировщики Ту-95 МС были замечены у побережья Великобритании. На их перехват были подняты два истребителя Typhoon королевских ВВС. В Минобороны РФ подчеркивают, что полеты совершались в соответствии с международными правилами. Британские истребители были подняты в воздух из-за полета бомбардировщиков РФНезависимая газета Daily Mail: Британские истребители поднялись на перехват российских бомбардировщиков1news.az Истребители Британии перехватили два бомбардировщика России - СМИЛІГА.net Подробности-Полит.ру-Главред Все похожие статьи: 91 » |
 Зеркало недели |
Глава Европарламента: У правительства Греции есть другие заботы, кроме бойкота санкций против России
Зеркало недели В интервью немецкому телеканалу ZDF политик отметил, что "с ужасом" воспринимает такую позицию Афин, пишет Deutsche Welle. Он подчеркнул, что греческое правительство избрано не для того, чтобы бойкотировать штрафные меры против России, у страны имеются совсем другие ... и другие » |
 Комсомольская правда |
Порошенко: 45 тысяч военнообязанных уже призваны в рамках четвертой мобилизации
Комсомольская правда Президент Украины Петр Порошенко сообщил, что мобилизация в стране идет по плану. С ее начала было вручено более 73 тысяч повесток, около 45 тысяч призывников отправились на военные учения. "Мобилизация происходит по плану и без нарушений намеченного графика. с 20 ... Украина: в рамках мобилизации призваны 45 тыс. человекBBC Russian Порошенко про ситуацию на Донбассе: военные сдерживают атаки по всей линии фронтаУНИАН Порошенко: очередная мобилизация идет по плануНТВ.ru РБК Украина -Украинское национальное информагентство -Утро.Ru Все похожие статьи: 105 » |
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 Reuters |
Greece misinterpreted over Russia sanctions: minister
Reuters The statements have unnerved European leaders and prompted speculation that the Greek government was leaning towards Russia while it seeks to renegotiate its bailout program with Europe. EU ministers meet on Thursday to extend the sanctions by six ... New Russia sanctions: How far will they go?CNBC Russia Links Loom Larger as Greece Seeks Debt ReliefWall Street Journal Greece threatens EU veto over Russian sanctionsThe Independent Financial Times -Bloomberg-The Times (subscription) all 8,836 news articles » |
Russia's Gazprom posted a 35 percent drop in nine-month net profit to 556.3 billion rubles ($8.13 billion) year-on-year, after the world's top gas producer was hit by a dispute with Ukraine and currency losses.
Western women are joining the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS) group in Syria and Iraq for a variety of reasons including religious idealism, a belief that Muslims are being systematically oppressed, and a desire for romance and friendship, according to a new report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a Britain-based think tank.
Yesterday’s live coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here. An archive of our liveblogs can be found here. For an overview and analysis of this developing story see our latest podcast.
Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs.
For links to individual updates click on the timestamps.
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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Baku Bus Driver Stable After Self-Immolationby noreply@rferl.org (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
A bus driver in Baku has been hospitalized after setting himself on fire to protest alleged misconduct by the transport ministry.
Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies.
The previous issue is here, and see also our Russia This Week stories ‘Anti-Maidan’ Launched by Nationalists, Cossacks, Veterans, Bikers and The Guild War – How Should Journalists Treat Russian State Propagandists? and special features ‘Managed Spring’: How Moscow Parted Easily with the ‘Novorossiya’ Leaders, Putin ‘The Imperialist’ A Runner-Up For Time’s ‘Person of the Year’ and It’s Not Just Oil and Sanctions Killing Russia’s Economy, It’s Putin.
Please help The Interpreter to continue providing this valuable information service by making a donation towards our costs.
UPDATES BELOW
Russia’s Defense Ministry is launching a new program to monitor and analyze social media that has experts concerned about its overreach.
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Why Does the Kremlin, Living in Its Own Alternative Reality, Still Use Spies? by paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, January 29 – The arrest of three Russian spies in New York has prompted Kseniya Kirillova to ask a question that may have been in the minds of many but that no one had earlier posed directly: why does a government like that of Vladimir Putin which believes in its own propaganda need spies to gather facts that might call that propaganda into question?
The obvious answers, of course, include Putin’s own origins in the KGB and his belief that nothing is as it seems but is only a mask for the real powers that be and inertia: Russia like many other countries has always spied and thus will continue to spy, however much its leadership is blinded by its own propaganda.
But as Kirillova points out, her question is not as naïve as it might seem on first blush. Given that spies are charged with finding information “which could be used for the good of their own country,” what use can they have in a country where propaganda has triumphed over facts? (nr2.com.ua/blogs/Ksenija_Kirillova/Zachem-Rossii-shpiony-89331.html).
As Kirillova points out, Russia in what must be record time “has been transformed into a country of victorious propaganda,” one in which “any event in this country is considered only from the point of view of how it can be perverted and used for propagandistic goals and where the idea of objective truth was irretrievably lost long ago.”
It would be one thing if the rulers were aware that their propaganda was not true, but what is “the most horrific thing” Kirillova suggests is that it appears that in Russia today, Putin and his entourage “believe in their own lies” and are no longer interested in the relationship between reality and what they are doing.
In support of her contention, Kirillova points to the case of Aleksandr Sytin, an analyst who was forced out of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies (RISI) for questioning that Kremlin think tank’s increasingly Orthodox and imperialist positions about the world (nr2.com.ua/publications/Kak-rossiyskie-analitiki-lobbirovali-anneksiyu-Kryma-i-voynu-na-Donbasse-88103.html).
Sytin “precisely describes all the misconceptions, stupidities and openly unprofessional calculations of the RISI analysts which led in the final analysis to a series of catastrophic failures in Russian foreign policy,” Kirillova says, and the former RISI staffer says that they were rooted in the nature of the power vertical that Putin had worked so hard to put in place.
Many have described the way in which Putin’s power vertical has allowed the Russian president to ensure that his decisions will be implemented by all his subordinates, but few before Sytin have pointed to the way in which that same vertical guarantees that he will seldom hear any arguments that challenge his own fixed ideas.
Those close to the Kremlin leader know what Putin wants to hear and what he doesn’t, and they will promote the former and freeze out the latter, thus intentionally or not reinforcing any mistaken views he has by ensuring that he is not presented with any information that might call his views into question.
From one perspective, of course, that is a risk in all bureaucratic hierarchies: many rise because they figure out quickly what those above them want to hear; but when it becomes as widespread and ramified as Sytin suggests it is in Putin’s Russia, that absence of the feedback of facts can become a serious even fatal problem.
Russian spies like those arrested in New York may be gathering information that could challenge the views of the Kremlin leader but those in the hierarchy above them may make sure it never reaches him. Or the situation may have become so serious that the spies are seeking the wrong kind of information, themselves already victims of Putin’s victorious propaganda.
That makes Kirillova’s question important even if it has at present no certain answer.
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Russians Say International Isolation Fine But Lower Incomes and Loss of Internet Access Aren’tby paul goble (noreply@blogger.com)
Paul Goble
Staunton, January 29 – According to a new study conducted by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russians are “prepared for economic isolation from the West but are against lower incomes, higher taxes,” or being cut off from access to the Internet, “Nezavisimaya gazeta” reports today.
Mikhail Sergeyev, that paper’s chief economics reporter, says that the study shows that the majority of Russian citizens are ready to give up using foreign currency, making trips abroad, using bank cards, and purchasing foreign goods and that they expect they may have to for a lengthy period (ng.ru/economics/2015-01-29/4_otkaz.html).
The only exception to this list of self-imposed limitations concerns the Internet and social networks. Nearly half say that they are not prepared to stop using the web, although a majority indicates that it is willing to live with some restrictions. Twenty-two percent of the sample said they don’t use the Internet now, and 37 percent said they would be willing to stop using it.
Moreover, the study found that Russians are very much opposed to any decline in their incomes and benefits or any increase in taxes and fees. Fewer than one in eight supports such ideas. Russians overwhelmingly support their government in its struggle with the West, but they oppose “attempts by bureaucrats to shift budgetary problems onto the shoulders of citizens.”
“Almost half of the respondents, Institute director Mikhail Gorshkov said, “agree that the country faces difficult times ahead,” although a quarter say that “the country is developing successfully,” and another quarter say that they do not expect “any significant changes in the development of the country.”
Gorshkov stressed that over the last year there has been a fundamental shift in Russian assessments of the source of threats to Russia. A year ago, he says, most viewed any threats as being internal, but now they view them as coming from abroad, with only 18 percent saying there are threats from within the country.
The study suggests that only the very top of society has been much affected by sanctions but that most Russians have been touched by changes in the exchange rate which have sparked inflation and forced Russians to cut back in their spending on recreation, food, clothing, and medicines but led others to purchase goods out of fear that prices will rise still further.
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