Tag: Russia
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Don’t bet on Russia in Ukraine
So parts of eastern Ukraine now belong to Russia, forever, or so Vladimir Putin tells us. Nice expanded country you have there, Russia. Now let’s see if you can keep it. It’s perfectly okay for these new areas to be part of Russia though because the citizens there voted to join. Of course, about two […]
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Russia isn’t a superpower and won’t be one again
Russia’s war in Ukraine has been ghastly but also illuminating. It’s illuminated just how broke and dysfunctional its military is and how endemic the corruption is within it. But it’s also illuminating that the country is no longer a superpower, and likely won’t ever be one again. There are a number of reasons for this. […]
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine proves land wars are so 20th century and democracies are valuable
A week ago, when Russia invaded Ukraine, I remember going to bed feeling upset and morose. I didn’t sleep well. It was a strange reaction to events half a world away, but it’s good to know I was not alone. Lots of Americans are feeling the same way. The invasion of Ukraine has permeated American […]
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What is Putin afraid of on Ukraine?
About a hundred thousand Russian troops are amassed along Russia’s border with Ukraine, ready to invade the country on Vladimir Putin’s command. Whether this actually happens is problematic and it may amount to a lot of saber rattling. Since 2014, when Ukraine peacefully elected a democratic leader and legislature, it has petitioned to join NATO. […]
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Figuring out that Trump is guilty is not too hard
And so our national nightmare continues. At least last week we learned for a fact that not only did the Russian government interfere in the 2016 elections, but also that doing so is a crime. Special counsel Robert Mueller released a slew of indictments, mostly against Russian citizens who will likely never be held accountable […]
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Review: Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
Some books you cannot put down, some you plod through half heartedly, some you put down after a few pages and some you read for a while, put down for a long time, then strangely pick up again and actually finish. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie fell into the last category for me. […]
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The Cold War Returns
It is now looking like The Cold War did not so much end as it was postponed. It sure looked like it ended back in 1989. For those of us of a certain age, the images of the Berlin Wall being torn down brick by brick (with many of the bricks being carted off as […]
Occam's Razor 