Category: Russia and Former Soviet Union

As expected, the diplomatic talks between Russia, the U.S. and NATO produced no progress.  The opposing sides are far apart.  Meanwhile, long trains carrying Russian military equipment are heading in the Western direction.  What will Putin do next?  Something significant will happen soon.  Neither side seems willing to back down.  Instead, each seems committed to […]

III.       Is Compromise Possible? Left unresolved, the current stalemate will eventually lead to war. The Russian leadership cannot tolerate the post-2014 status quo, which it believes will lead to its demise. They also reject Western moral supremacy and global hegemony. Meanwhile, the Western leadership (putting aside Trump for the moment) is dominated by people who […]

Of course Putin hacked the Democrats. Of course he wanted Hillary Clinton to lose the election. Of course he wanted Donald Trump to get elected. The obvious question that doesn’t seem to get much serious attention: Why? The US intelligence report offers a glib response: “…the Kremlin sought to advance its longstanding desire to undermine […]

Every year in late December, diehard fans come to the Kremlin to deposit red carnations at Joseph Stalin’s grave.  They are celebrating the birthday of the Friend of All Soviet People. You might say, so what?  The world is full of freaks, and some choose to worship mass murderers.  When Charles Manson finally dies, a […]

Whenever I see news reports from Ukraine, I remember my family history. Growing up in Leningrad, the best days of my childhood were spent at our summer dacha in Gorkovskoye.  In July, when the nights were white and the air was hot, the best place to be was a lounge chair under our birch tree.  […]

Six months ago, before the Crimean referendum and the rebellion in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, I offered a few musings on the Ukrainian events. Keeping in mind that the game is still only in the third inning, today I was curious to look back and see how many of my predictions turned out to be […]

As NATO is set to expand to Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, many wise commentators are asking: why? The most obvious justification proffered by NATO enthusiasts is that these countries must be helped. One wonders then why the West, so eager to help, is not yet in a hurry to admit these countries to […]

The Russian parliamentary elections of December 1995 have dealt a crushing blow to Yeltsin’s Government. Two die-hard opponents of economic reform, Communists led by Zyuganov and an extreme nationalist party of Zhirinovsky, have emerged as the top vote-getters with 22% and 11 % of the popular vote, respectively. The weak showing of reformist parties – […]