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Erdogan says Turkey won’t ‘back down’ on demands for Sweden’s NATO bid

In an apparent jab at Sweden and the United States, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country wouldn’t cave to “veiled threats.” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amped up the rhetoric against Stockholm on Monday with merely days left before the critical meeting between Turkish, NATO and Swedish officials over …

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America has Just Destroyed a Great Empire

Herodotus (History, Book 1.53) tells the story of Croesus, king of Lydia c. 585-546 BC in what is now Western Turkey and the Ionian shore of the Mediterranean. Croesus conquered Ephesus, Miletus and neighboring Greek-speaking realms, obtaining tribute and booty that made him one of the richest rulers of his …

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Destroying Eastern Ukraine to Save It

I speak of peace, therefore, as the necessary rational end of rational men. ~PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, American University, June 10, 1963 Following an essay I published earlier this month and the letter the Eisenhower Media Network ran in The New York Times in May, I have heard forceful and passionate …

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Prigozhin goes into exile but left behind a can of worms

On Monday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation for the second time with the intention to bring the curtain down on the coup attempt by Wagner “founder” Yevgeny Prigozhin on June 23-24. It was quintessentially a self-congratulatory speech — well-deserved, perhaps. The speech had four principal elements. First, …

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He Stopped Prigozhin’s Mutiny: What’s Next for Belarus’s Chief Negotiator Lukashenko?

By solving a Russian domestic crisis, the Belarusian leader has effectively joined the ranks of Russian grandees vying for Putin’s favor by eliminating irritating problems that could distract the president from his high-stakes geopolitical machinations. The mutiny led by the Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on the weekend has given …

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Overcoming EU Accession Challenges in Eastern Europe: Avoiding Purgatory

The EU’s decision to grant Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine membership perspective signals a more strategic approach to enlargement. But an overhaul of the process is needed to enable staged accession and prevent a stalemate. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has placed the EU’s policy toward its eastern neighbors firmly in the …

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Public Records Map Wagner Group’s Hong Kong Connections – Analysis

The Russian private military company Wagner Group, which made headlines over the weekend by starting to march on Moscow amid an apparent dispute with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has longstanding ties to Hong Kong, records show. Public domain information shows that its predecessor, the Slavonic Corps, was founded in the …

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The Turmoil In Russia And What It Means For China – Analysis

Amidst the ongoing stalemate in the Ukrainian war, a major internal conflict has erupted within Russia with the mutiny of the mercenary Wagner Group. On June 23, Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, took to social media to accuse the Russian Ministry of Defense of launching an attack on Wagner’s camp, resulting …

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After Prigozhin’s Mutiny: Russia’s Elites Wait For The Fallout – Analysis

Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has reportedly entered exile in Belarus following an aborted mutiny that challenged Russia’s military command, and rattled the Kremlin. But, despite the efforts of President Vladimir Putin and his administration to project an air of confidence and stability, the fallout from the Wagner rebellion …

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Russia Won’t Disintegrate Right After Putin Goes But Could Later If His Successors Mishandle Situation – OpEd

Many analysts and politicians believe the greatest risk to the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation will come immediately after Vladimir Putin leaves the scene, Aleksandr Kynyev says; but that view is wrong: the real danger is likely to arise several years later if the transitional government misplays the situation. …

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