Despite Ukraine Cease-Fire, Battle for Railroad Town Continues - NYT | Ukraine: Rebels Take PoWs After 'Seizing' Town: The Russian-backed separatists claim to have taken control of 80% of Debaltseve, a key transportation hub.
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Pro-Russian separatist fighters with an armored personnel carrier on Tuesday in the village of Nikishine, southeast of Debaltseve, Ukraine.
The Russian-backed separatists claim to have taken control of 80% of Debaltseve, a key transportation hub.
Geoengineering has many risks, and we don’t yet know the CIA’s intentions. But given the lack of political will on climate change, we have to look at it
On January 19, 2011, I got a phone call from two men who told me they were consultants for the CIA. Roger Lueken and Michael Canes, analysts for the Logistics Management Institute, asked, among other things, “If another country were trying to control our climate, would we be able to detect it?”
I told them that I thought we could, because if a cloud in the stratosphere were created (the most commonly proposed method of control) that was thick enough, large enough, and long-lasting enough to change the amount of energy reaching Earth, we could certainly see it with the same ground-based and satellite instruments we use to measure stratospheric clouds from volcanic eruptions. If, on the other hand, low clouds were being brightened over the ocean (another suggested means of cooling the climate), we could see telltale patterns in the tops of the clouds with satellite photos. And it would also be easy to observe aeroplanes or ships injecting gases or particles into the atmosphere.
Related: Can the CIA weaponise the weather?
Continue reading...EU Border Chief: Record Flow of Migrants Likely in 2015by webdesk@voanews.com (Reuters)
A record number of migrants look set to flow into Europe this year, with human traffickers becoming increasingly aggressive as they take advantage of chaos in Africa and the Middle East, the EU borders chief said. Many asylum seekers and illegal immigrants are reaching Europe via the Mediterranean Sea, with hundreds dying during the perilous crossing, said Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of Frontex, the European Union's border cooperation agency. Libya's plunge into anarchy has created an ideal environment for traffickers, who pack people fleeing war and poverty in the Arab world and sub-Saharan African onto rickety boats that set sail for Europe — mainly aiming for nearby Italy. In an interview at the Warsaw headquarters of Frontex, Leggeri said the numbers since Jan. 1 of what his agency terms "irregular crossings" into Europe at all border points was the highest ever recorded. An official put the number at more than 5,600, despite winter storms and cold that normally deter the human smugglers. Asked if that meant 2015 would be a record year, Leggeri said, "Yes, if the current trend is confirmed." In 2014, there were approximately 300,000 irregular crossings into the European Union, with U.N. data showing at least 218,000 people entering via the Mediterranean. The other major route for migrants was overland from the Middle East into the western Balkans and into the EU, officials said. "There are obvious reasons: because of the geo-political situation in Syria and the Middle East, because in Libya one can say there is a failed state and there is no government able to have effective control of the territory, which makes it easier for organized crime to flourish there." Leggeri said traffickers were becoming more aggressive. In one case this month, smugglers pulled out guns to threaten an Italian coastguard crew which was trying to tow a wooden vessel filled with migrants into port. The traffickers, he said, wanted the boat back so they could use it again. Frontex is in charge of an EU coastguard mission patrolling the Mediterranean, dubbed Operation Triton, which started work last November just as Italy wound down a much larger program, Mare Nostrum, that rescued more than 100,000 migrants in 2014. The Mediterranean crossing claimed an estimated 3,300 lives last year, and earlier this month more than 300 people are believed to have died after leaving Libya in inflatable rafts. The United Nation's refugee agency, UNHCR, says Operation Triton is woefully inadequate, and urged Europe to take a new approach. Leggeri said Operation Triton, which had been planned to run only until the end of January, would now carry on throughout the year, adding that it had already helped save up to 9,000 people. The International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday that some 3,800 migrants had been rescued from the Mediterranean since last Friday alone. Leggeri said he had put out a call to EU member states to provide the vessels and aircraft needed to keep the operation going. Frontex has no operational resources of its own. Triton currently employs nine boats and two aircraft. "We have to get ready and when I say 'we' it's Frontex but also the member states," he said. "We have to be prepared to face a very difficult year."
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Tactical pause in Putin's assault on Ukraine
Financial Times he deal agreed by Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko in Minsk on Thursday provides a ray of hope that the conflict in eastern Ukraine might be moving towards a settlement. But it would be foolish to view the pact more optimistically than that. After a ... |
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 Wall Street Journal |
Putin's Latest Victory
Wall Street Journal So what better time for Vladimir Putin to agree to another cease-fire that consolidates his military gains, extracts additional political concessions from Kiev, puts off further Western sanctions, and gives President Obama another diplomatic alibi not ... |
 Financial Times |
Putin's posture casts cloud over Ukraine ceasefire
Financial Times When Vladimir Putin met the press in Minsk on Thursday to announce a ceasefire deal in eastern Ukraine, the Russian president brushed aside a question about whether he had actually put his own signature on the agreement. Mr Putin said the declaration ... |
 Telegraph.co.uk |
Vladimir Putin will keep pushing because he can see we are unprepared
Telegraph.co.uk In June 2012, Mitt Romney, who was hoping to be President of the United States, visited Europe. In the course of this campaign trip, he described Russia as America's “number one geopolitical foe”. How we mocked the old Cold-War bonehead. What a gaffe! and more » |
 Business Insider |
Here's who backs Putin in Europe — and why
Business Insider ReutersRussian President Vladimir Putin reacts after peace talks on resolving the Ukrainian crisis in Minsk, February 12, 2015. Populist parties of both right and left, many pro-Russian, did well in last May's European elections, taking between them a ... |
 Center for Research on Globalization |
Putin Wins, Obama Loses, in Draft Plan for Ukraine
Center for Research on Globalization “Russian President Vladimir Putin; President of Ukraine, Peter Poroshenko; French President Francois Hollande; and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel, confirmed full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Ukraine Says Putin Agreed to Free Pilot; He Denies ItNew York Times Why Is Putin Smiling About Ukraine? In Kiev, Everybody KnowsDaily Beast How Putin Came Out On Top in Ukraine Ceasefire DealTIME Wall Street Journal-Foreign Policy (blog) all 8,076 news articles » |
 Telegraph.co.uk |
Wanted: Russian-speaking spies to help MI5 keep tabs on Vladimir Putin
Telegraph.co.uk Any intelligence uncovered will be fed back to teams of investigators in London, operatives abroad and “influence Government policy” on how to deal with Mr Putin. There are also chances for postings overseas. With positions at MI5, MI6 and GCHQ all on ... and more » |
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 Telegraph.co.uk |
Putin: Will he go nuclear?
Telegraph.co.uk Earlier this month, as fighting raged in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian rebels and forces loyal to the Western-backed government in Kiev, Dmitry Kiselyov, the pugnacious, middle-aged journalist who heads Russia's main state news agency, gazed ... Putin accused of putting Russia on war footingThe Australian (blog) Vlad Putin wins againThe Sun Daily Other Views: Mr. Putin's EnablersTwin Falls Times-News The Independent-Business Insider all 1,217 news articles » |
 Christian Science Monitor |
Putin's pals: Who is helping steer the Kremlin now?
Christian Science Monitor Moscow — The West's response to Russia's alleged military aid to Ukraine's rebels has been based on the idea that the biggest influence in Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle are the so-called oligarchs. Hurt the business elite that stand ... |
 Christian Science Monitor |
Putin's 'hands-on management': How the Russian leader makes it personal
Christian Science Monitor The Kremlin has been able to make its decisions without public scrutiny, despite the disparate Russian elites jockeying for the president's ear. Even those directly involved have no idea with whom else Putin may be consulting. Putin's pals: Who is helping steer the Kremlin now?Yahoo News all 3 news articles » |
Putin's net-worth is $200 billion says Russia's once largest foreigner investor
CNN (blog) CNN's FAREED ZAKARIA GPS features an interview with Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, formerly Russia's largest foreign investor, and a once supporter of President Putin. He also describes the dynamics between power and ... |
 New York Post |
A businessman learns from a bad investment in Putin
Washington Post I first met Bill Browder when he came to tell The Post's editorial board that its criticism of Vladimir Putin was all wrong. It was the early 2000s, and Putin was persecuting independent media and their owners and flattening the republic of Chechnya ... Investor: Putin could be world's richest man with stolen $200B fortuneNew York Post Putin's net-worth is $200 billion says Russia's once largest foreigner investorCNN (blog) Vladimir Putin could be world's richest person with stolen $257B fortune...NEWS.com.au The Moscow Times-Daily Sabah-Business Insider Australia all 16 news articles » |
Christian Science Monitor |
Putin Fearing Russian Subservience to China Casts Wider Asia Net
Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, speaks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at The World Diamond Conference at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Photographer: Findlay Kember/AFP via Getty Images ... Putin's pals: Who is helping steer the Kremlin now?Christian Science Monitor To Survive, Putin Is Mortgaging Russia's Energy Assets To ChinaForbes Marc Bennetts: How Putin is priming Russia for nuclear stand-off with the WestNational Post Telegraph.co.uk-Foreign Policy (blog)-Business Insider all 62 news articles » |
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 Kyiv Post |
US 'wants to demolish Putin' in Ukraine
Press TV All Washington wants “to do is to demolish Russia, demolish the name of President Putin, who has been extraordinary in his diplomacy,” former World Bank staff Peter Koenig told Press TV in a phone interview on Sunday. He believed that Putin tried to ... Bloomberg: Putin lets Russian consumers feel the pain as economy succumbsKyiv Post Vlad Putin wins againThe Sun Daily It will be a miracle if this ceasefire lasts – and even if it does, Putin ...The Independent all 1,434 news articles » |
 Радио Свобода |
Путин и клещи для Венгрии
Радио Свобода К визиту Владимира Путина, намеченному на вторник, в Венгрии готовятся очень активно. Мэр Будапешта внезапно предлагает переименовать один из столичных парков в Парк Москвы, социалисты, напротив, делают заявления о несвоевременности визита и убеждают правительство ... Путин обсудит в Венгрии вопросы поставок газаThe Russian Times Все похожие статьи: 30 » |
 Hungary Today |
Foreign Minister: Putin's Upcoming Visit To Budapest Could Be Crucial
Hungary Today Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Budapest could be crucial from the point of view of maintaining secure energy supplies to Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, minister of foreign affairs and trade, said. Russia will remain a key player in ensuring ... Putin Visit to Hungary Shows He Still Has Friends in EuropeABC News Share “Putin visit to Hungary shows he still has...”NewsOK.com all 30 news articles » |
 Вести.Ru |
Запад не понимает, кто такой Путин
Вести.Ru Всегда интересна заграничная реакция на крупные события. Правда, часто, когда начинаешь изучать ее скрупулезно, натыкаешься на довольно бездарные попытки хоть как-то реконструировать почему-то все еще "загадочного Путина". Причем в целом они там считают, что Путин в ... и другие » |
 Медиагруппа "Звезда" |
Путин уволил одного из своих советников без объяснения причин
NEWSru.com Президент Владимир Путин своим указом освободил Сергея Дубика от должности своего советника. Об этом сообщается на сайте Кремля. Причины кадрового решения президента в его администрации пока не объясняют. Между тем нельзя не отметить, что новость об увольнении ... Путин освободил от должности одного из своих советниковМедиагруппа "Звезда" Путин освободил Сергея Дубика от должности советника президентаРБК Путин освободил Дубика от должности советника президентаForbes Россия Ведомости -Телеканал ДОЖДЬ (подписка) Все похожие статьи: 55 » |
 Snob.ru |
Билл Браудер оценил состояние Путина в $200 млрд
Forbes Россия «Я считаю, что оно (состояние Путина) составляет $200 млрд. После 14 лет у власти и (учитывая) суммы, которые произвела страна, и суммы, которые не были потрачены на школы, дороги, больницы и так далее, все эти деньги — в собственности, хранятся на счетах в швейцарских ... Браудер оценил состояние Путина в 200 миллиардов долларовSnob.ru Путин стал самым богатым человеком в мире"Русский Еврей" CNN: «Путин — самый богатый человек в мире, он украл 200 млрд долларов»Новости Израиля Металлургический портал SteelLand.Ru -Хартия'97 Все похожие статьи: 66 » |
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 The Atlantic |
The American Education of Vladimir Putin
The Atlantic Because of his KGB history, Vladimir Putin is typically accused in U.S. media of harboring an anti-American, Cold War view of the United States, and of blaming the United States for bringing down the Soviet Union. But there is little evidence of any ... |
 The Guardian |
There'll be no peace while Putin is squatting in Ukraine's living room
The Guardian Even if the opinion polls that suggest Putin enjoys sky-high popularity in Russia today are credible, we should not make the mistake of confusing Putin with Russia. Adolf Hitler also enjoyed huge popularity once, as did Slobodan Milosevic. Peoples can ... |
 Newsweek |
Putin Fires Medvedev Ally as Kremlin Rift Grows
Newsweek Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially dismissed one of his ten advisors, 52-year-old Sergei Dubik, according to a statement posted on the Kremlin's official website today, after a briefly-worded notice to do so emerged online yesterday. No ... |
Hungary Today |
Putin Visit to Hungary Shows He Still Has Friends in Europe
ABC News Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Budapest on Tuesday to meet the leader some Hungarians cast as his alter ego — "Little Putin." It's a striking moniker for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who rose to international prominence in the ... Foreign Minister: Putin's Upcoming Visit To Budapest Could Be CrucialHungary Today Gyurcsány: Putin visit is diplomatic failure for HungaryPolitics.hu Russia's Putin to discuss gas supplies post-South Stream in HungaryReuters Africa all 12 news articles » |
 Yahoo News |
Putin visit to Hungary shows he still has friends in Europe
Yahoo News For Putin, now shunned by many nations around the world, the visit is important because it shows he still has friends even within the European Union. Orban has much more down-to-earth concerns: He is seeking a good price for the Russian gas Hungary ... Putin's Hungary visit aims to show it 'pays off' to be friend of Russia - analysteuronews Foreign Minister: Putin's Upcoming Visit To Budapest Could Be CrucialHungary Today Putin Visits EU Ally Hungary to Talk EnergyThe Moscow Times Business Insider all 75 news articles » |
Yahoo News |
Putin's Hungary visit aims to show it 'pays off' to be friend of Russia - analyst
euronews Orban has said that commercial ties will top the agenda during this week's talks with Putin, scheduled to start on Tuesday (17 February). Russia provides most of Hungary's gas and a supply deal, which ends this year, needs renewing. Hungary's Foreign ... Putin visit to Hungary shows he still has friends in EuropeYahoo News Foreign Minister: Putin's Upcoming Visit To Budapest Could Be CrucialHungary Today Putin Visits EU Ally Hungary to Talk EnergyThe Moscow Times Business Insider-The Guardian all 79 news articles » |
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 The Moscow Times |
Putin Visits EU Ally Hungary to Talk Energy
The Moscow Times President Vladimir Putin arrives in Hungary on Tuesday for a rare working visit to an EU member state since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, a trip that political analysts said reflects the need of individual countries to protect their economic ... |
 RT |
If Putin Should Proceed
Wall Street Journal Russia's President Vladimir Putin thinks the West is decadent and weak. He sees the European Union in financial crisis and NATO as a paper tiger. The EU, he calculates, doesn't have the strength to fight him. NATO, as U.S. President Barack Obama ... 'Concrete steps for OSCE to monitor E. Ukraine' agreed by Putin, Merkel ...RT There'll be no peace while Putin is squatting in Ukraine's living roomThe Guardian Putin Saying No Deal Stalks Ukraine Creditor NegotiationsBloomberg National Post-Reuters-The Local.de all 2,932 news articles » |
 Wall Street Journal |
Putin Begins to Crack the Atlantic Alliance
Wall Street Journal While the Germans, seconded by their French character witnesses, negotiated an ethereal Ukraine cease fire with Vladimir Putin in Minsk, Belarus, last week, Britain was kept informed by regular messages from the conference room. It was a drip-feed from ... and more » |
 RT |
Hungarian rhapsody: Will Putin's visit to Viktor Orban give Russia a way into ...
RT Putin is visiting Prime Minister Viktor Orban at a time of unprecedented confrontation between the western world and Russia over the bloody conflict in Ukraine. The EU has broadened its anti-Russian sanctions on Monday, expanding the blacklist with 19 ... Putin Visit to Hungary Shows He Still Has Friends in EuropeABC News Two thousand Hungarians protest in Budapest on eve of Putin visitYahoo News Putin's Hungary visit aims to show it 'pays off' to be friend of Russia - analysteuronews BBC News -The Moscow Times all 115 news articles » |
 BBC News |
Hungarians protest before Putin visit to Orban
BBC News Some 2,000 people have marched through the Hungarian capital, Budapest, ahead of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Tuesday's visit is Mr Putin's first to an EU leader since June 2014. Hungary wants to ... Orban defies EU to host Putin in HungaryFinancial Times Hungarian rhapsody: Will Putin's visit to Viktor Orban give Russia a way into ...RT Putin Visit to Hungary Shows He Still Has Friends in EuropeABC News Yahoo News-euronews all 123 news articles » |
 Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей |
Путин и Порошенко согласовали шаги по соблюдению перемирия
Slon.ru - Редакция деловых новостей Президенты России и Украины Владимир Путин и Петр Порошенко согласовали действия по предоставлению ОБСЕ возможности наблюдать за соблюдением перемирия, в телефонном разговоре также участвовала канцлер Германии Ангела Меркель. Как передает Reuters, об этом ... Путин, Меркель и Порошенко согласовали шаги по работе ОБСЕ в ДонбассеРИА Новости СМИ: Путин и Порошенко в хороших личных отношениях и говорят на «ты»Взгляд Путин, Порошенко и Меркель обсудили условия перемирияBBC Russian Lenta.ru -Российская Газета Все похожие статьи: 979 » |
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 Telegraph.co.uk |
How Vladimir Putin is building alliances around the world
Telegraph.co.uk There are no proven links between UKIP and Russia but Nigel Farage, the party's leader, said in March last year that Mr Putin was the world leader he most admired “as an operator, not as a human being”. For more stories, like the Telegraph's Facebook ... Kim Jong-un, Putin 'Swap Regular Messages'The Chosun Ilbo all 127 news articles » |
Hungary's Orban Looks to Turn Putin Nexus Into Energy Accord
Bloomberg Russia's President Vladimir Putin greets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a meeting in Moscow last year. Hungary's 10-year supply contract expires this year and its renewal will top the agenda when Orban hosts Putin on Tuesday in Budapest, ... |
 РИА Новости |
Путин прибыл в Венгрию с рабочим визитом
РИА Новости Путин также проведет ряд двусторонних встреч, в том числе с премьер-министром Виктором Орбаном и президентом Яношем Адером, а по итогам визита будут подписаны пять совместных документов. Кроме того, в ходе визита будет обсуждаться сотрудничество двух стран в проекте ... Путин и клещи для ВенгрииРадио Свобода Президент России прибудет с визитом в Венгрию 17 февраляРоссийская Газета "Путин - Распутин": венгры отметили визит российского лидера массовой акцией протестаNEWSru.com euronews -Inopressa -НТВ.ru Все похожие статьи: 327 » |
We look at the implications for your cash and personal data if your bank succumbs to a cyber-attack
Should you be having sleepless nights stressing about your bank’s cybersecurity defences? A report by the security firm Kaspersky Labs claims that a multinational gang of cybercriminals stole up to $1bn over a two-year period by infiltrating more than 100 banks across 30 countries.
In January, the Bank of England warned banks in the UK that they were facing an “ever-present, ever-evolving threat” from hackers and cybercriminals, and should expect that attempts to penetrate their networks would be successful.
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Dramatic footage shows the moment a TV news crew were forced to run from a huge explosion in eastern Ukraine. Report by Claire Lomas.
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JERUSALEM — In a video that has gone viral, Zvika Klein, an orthodox Jew and Israeli journalist, decided to walk around the streets of Paris and film the reactions of passersby.Surreptitiously, he recorded Parisians' responses as he walked silently for 10 hours in their midst. As he does in daily life, Klein wore a kippah (skullcap) and tzitzit (tassels) at his waist. He also hired a bodyguard, not shown on the video, just in case there was trouble.Read full article >>
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In early July 2014, Ukrainian forces launch a new offensive against pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine until sudden heavy shelling halts their advance. These attacks continue for during the summer and reverse the Ukrainian gains. Ukrainian government agencies say the barrages came from inside Russia, which Russian officials deny. Bellingcat – a group of investigative journalists specialising in image analysis - say they can prove Russia was responsible Continue reading...
Iran Leader Criticizes American Sniper by Victor Luckerson
Iran’s top leader has criticized the film American Sniper for encouraging violence against Muslims, according to a state media outlet.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s Supreme Leader, told the IRAN Farsi newspaper that the movie “encourages a Christian or non-Muslim youngster to harass and offend the Muslims as far as they could,” the Associated Press reports.
“You are seeing what sort of propaganda there are against Muslims in Europe and the U.S.,” Khamenei said, adding that he hasn’t seen the movie.
American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper and directed by Clint Eastwood, focuses on the life of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL who became known as a lethal sniper during the Iraq War. The movie has generated more than $300 million at the U.S. box office, but it has not been released in Iran.
[AP]
'Neither the judicial enquiry nor the hearing' proved Strauss-Kahn was guilty of procuring prostitutes for sex parties he attended in Paris, Brussels and Washington, said prosecutor Frederic Fevre.
Of all the general rules that have evolved over time for those about to ask for money, one is pretty much at the top of every list: don’t gratuitously insult the guy you’re asking ahead of time.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the list of the new Greek government, which seems to think that the best way to get money out of Germany is to remind Germans of their criminal Nazi past at every opportunity.
Whether it’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras laying a rose at the site of a Nazi massacre in his first official act as Prime Minister, or Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis describing the bailout’s effects as a “social holocaust”, or Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias banging on about a loan forcibly exacted from Greece by the German Reichsbank during the Nazi occupation, officials have gone out of their way to try to shame their biggest creditor into cutting them some slack.
And even when the government takes a break from it, it can rely on friendly elements of the press to carry on the struggle for it. Witness the cartoon in Monday’s edition of the Syriza-friendly paper “Dawn”, depicting German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in World War 2 uniform, saying “We insist on the soap from your fat. We’re willing to discuss the compost from your ashes.” No wonder the doughty Badenser didn’t feel much in the giving vein at Monday’s Eurogroup meeting.
It’s a tactic that consciously seeks to deflect attention away from Greece’s own shortcomings, and will hit entirely the wrong target. Who exactly will pay for this? Around 300,000 Greeks live and pay taxes today in Germany (another million live in the countries that Tsipras is asking for debt forgiveness). By contrast, there are fewer than 400,000 German men over 90 left alive, only a minute fraction of whom could possibly be considered as even indirectly responsible for what happened in Greece between 1941 and 1945. It’s only a small exaggeration to say that, by the same logic, Iran should file for damages committed by Alexander the Great’s army.
The most likely result of Syriza’s German-baiting is the exact opposite from the one intended. German public opinion, which is by no means short on “European solidarity”, will harden even further against Greece, leaving it no option but to leave the Eurozone as its money runs out. An opinion pollpublished last week by the magazine Focus showed that 48% of Germans wanted Greece to leave the currency union, while only 29% wanted it to stay in.
Yes, it’s true that Germany hasn’t directly repaid 476 million Reichsmarks that it forced the Bank of Greece to lend it interest-free, a sum that some analysts estimate as translating into €10 billion at today’s exchange rates (best not to ask how they arrive at that calculation). It’s also true that some of the reparations agreed under various postwar settlements never arrived in Greece (although it would be more pertinent to ask how well that which did arrive was spent).
But Messrs. Tsipras, Kotzias et al. are guilty of missing the forest for the trees. In one of the more enlightened policy choices of modern history, Germany was spared a heavy reparations bill after WW2. Instead it entered into a tacit bargain that it would bankroll the European Union’s budget. The historian Niall Ferguson reckons that Germany has already recycled more through the European economy in this way than the whole of the reparations bill handed to it at Versailles for World War 1. Time to let it go and concentrate on today, and on Greece, rather than its creditors.
Since Greece joined the E.U. in 1981, it has benefited more than virtually any other country from that arrangement, getting the equivalent of €110 billion out of E.U. coffers, according to European Commission numbers crunched by the Munich-based Ifo think-tank. Around a third of that is ultimately attributable to Germany. In the E.U.’s last budget, Greece was still able to extract more subsidies, on a per capita basis, than all but two of the–much poorer–countries that joined the Union after the fall of Communism.
After the failure of Monday’s Eurogroup meeting, time is now fast running out for Athens to get real. The country only has 12 days before it loses access to billions of euros that its creditors–at great political cost domestically–approved for it in 2012. It needs to stop wasting time and energy whipping up old animosities that are increasingly irrelevant to modern Europe. And in any case, it costs nothing to ask nicely.
This article originally appeared on fortune.com
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E. Ukraine Cease-fire Breach Traps Thousands of Civiliansby webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Schlein)
The U.N. human rights office says it is very alarmed by reports thousands of civilians are trapped in the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve. The agency says pitched battles between pro-Russian rebels and government forces continue despite the recently declared cease-fire. The U.N. human rights office says it has not managed to get reliable information on the fighting or casualties in the Debaltseve area, but expresses alarm at reports of continued shelling and says it believes several...
The former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn should be cleared of “pimping”, the French st
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