Why Obama’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ Will Prove a Non Event
HONG KONG—After two years of dithering and drift in the Pacific, the Obama administration is now trying to give substance to its noted “pivot to Asia.” The White House’s problem simply put: Symbols and gestures do not amount to substance,…
Federalizing Ukraine Gives Putin Exactly What He Wants
Whatever anyone may think of Vladimir Putin, there is no longer any denying his mastery of statecraft. The Russian president’s gifts for surprise and exploiting the mistakes of those set against him, evident all along in the Ukraine crisis, now…
Obama Needs Putin to Salvage His Failed Syrian Strategy
Now that Russia’s annexation of Crimea is an accomplished fact, the Ukraine conversation, is all about consequences. And there will be a lot of them, intended or otherwise. In coming weeks how many fall to Moscow and how many to…
Does Putin Want to Carve Up Ukraine and Take the Spoils?
Rich in oil and minerals, the economic benefits would help the Russian economy. As Crimeans voted overwhelmingly Sunday to quit Ukraine and join Russia, Vladimir Putin continued his calibrated campaign to increase the Russian presence in and around Ukraine. The famously…
The Ukraine Delusion: Freedom Over the Economy
Charges and counter-charges now overtake the Ukraine crisis. It is a thicket at this point, with contradictions and hypocrisy in plentiful supply. The self-appointed government in Kiev, the parliament in constitutionally autonomous Crimea, the Russians, the Americans and Europeans—all miss…
The Limits of East-West Fusion in Ukraine
For a few days after protesters of varied political stripes and legislators of different motives deposed President Viktor Yanukovych, you could call Ukraine a story of new possibilities. In a weekend, it turned into a story of limits and futility….
The Two Ukraines Portend a Disastrous Possibility
In less than a week, the simmering crisis in Ukraine has tipped into tragedy and tumbled straight down to existential calamity. As Viktor Yanukovych fled Saturday from the presidential compound in Kiev to a hotel room in the eastern city…
Renzi, Italy’s Man of the Moment, Has a Lot to Prove
Sometime this week or next, if all goes to plan, 39–year–old Matteo Renzi will become the youngest prime minister in Italian history. He will form the nation’s 62nd government since 1945 and the fourth since its descent into crisis in…
How the White House Is Blowing Off Europe
The Obama administration needs to declare a “pivot to Europe” policy, and quickly. Not that the famous pivot to Asia has amounted to much: It drifts somewhere in the Pacific like a dead fish. But relations between the U.S. and…
Europe’s ‘Ogre of Deflation’ Is Rapping at the Door
All eyes on the European Central Bank this week. Its Governing Council meets Thursday in Frankfurt, and ECB President Mario “Whatever It Takes” Draghi will have to announce an historic interest rate cut if he is to earn his middle…
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