“There is a sense of open, almost joyful viciousness in all this pro-war, anti-Russian sentiment on opinion pages and television broadcasts. It is certainly racist and demeaning in tone. Such is the first step in convincing the public that the “transgressor” is equivalent to a retrovirus.” John Stanton, Dissident Voice, …
Read More »U.S. kills ISIS leader, but another is already waiting in the wings
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi’s successor has yet to be revealed, but he’ll most likely be another Iraqi steeped in Islamic fanaticism, experts said. The death of the Islamic State leader in a raid by U.S. special forces on his Syrian hideout was a devastating blow to the resurgent terrorist group, …
Read More »The Bully in the Bubble
Putin and the Perils of Information Isolation When Western leaders and observers speculate about what will happen to Ukraine, they usually focus on one man: Russian President Vladimir Putin. And for good reason. Under Putin, Russia has increasingly become a personalist regime—an authoritarian system in which power is concentrated in …
Read More »To Brief, Or Not to Brief: UK Intelligence and Public Disclosure
The UK government’s recent release of information on Moscow’s intentions in Ukraine is not the first time intelligence has been released as evidence, and raises questions about who delivers the message and what information should be used. Last week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss issued a statement on a Russian plot …
Read More »Russia Will Not Stop at Ukraine
The current confrontation is not only about Ukraine; it is also about Moscow’s attempt to stifle Georgia’s sovereign choices. Late last year, Russia formally issued its extraordinary demands, effectively describing any further NATO enlargement in the post-Soviet region as a red line. Moscow is demanding legal guarantees on reversing NATO’s …
Read More »Putin has Put Ukraine on the Horns of a Dilemma
Our researchers, currently on the ground in Ukraine, report on a country that finds itself caught between the threat of invasion and economic ruin; to avoid either, it needs international support. After eight years of war, Ukraine is surrounded by a massive Russian build-up of forces on its borders. Russia …
Read More »Crisis over Ukraine and European Security
Access our comment and analysis on the Ukraine crisis as the situation unfolds. The confrontation between Russia and the West is not merely about the future of Ukraine’s security arrangements; it is about Europe’s entire post-Cold War strategic framework. To all intents and purposes, Russia is demanding another division of …
Read More »In Ukraine, Erdogan emphasizes agreements with Moscow
Striking a different tone from many of his Western counterparts, the Turkish president’s remarks in Kyiv reflect a position that factors in Moscow’s demands on the Ukraine standoff. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underscored the role of existing agreements for a “peaceful and diplomatic solution” in the Ukraine standoff during …
Read More »As Russia menaces Ukraine, Crimea’s Tatars turn to Turkey
Complex ties stretch across centuries and continents, but Turkey’s affinity for its ethnic kin is taking a backseat to global relations with Russia. Ilmi Umerov, a Crimean Tatar political leader, was lying on a hospital bed in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea in his pajamas when Russian secret service agents …
Read More »The Guardian: Networks in Turkey Provide Fake Passports for ISIS Terrorists
A report by the Guardian showed how underground networks in Turkey provide ISIS terrorists with fake passports, according to SANA. Networks specializing in fake passports with official visas and travel stamps spread in Turkey and they are offering fake passports and official visas for terrorists from ISIS, the British Guardian …
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