Discerning Vladimir Putin
We have left behind the Russian dolls, one inside the other as if occlusion were their very point. “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma,” Churchill’s famous mot (invariably quoted out of context) is no longer for us….
Why the U.S. Seeks to Hem in Russia, China and Iran
America’s three principal adversaries signify the shape of the world to come: a post-Western world of coexistence. But neoliberal and neocon ideology is unable to to accept global pluralism and multipolarity, argues Patrick Lawrence. The Trump administration has brought U.S….
‘Too Big to Fail’: Russia-gate One Year After VIPS Showed a Leak, Not a Hack
One year later, the VIPS memo contending that the DNC emails were leaked and not hacked has yet to be successfully challenged. Meanwhile, the country sinks deeper into the morass of the new McCarthyism, comments Patrick Lawrence. A year has…
What happens when Assad wins the war in Syria?
There are many significant consequences to this outcome, and it’s crucial that we understand them Given the unexpected pace of events in recent weeks, the end of Syria’s seven-year agony appears to be very near. It is now all but…
Trump and allies approach World War III in Syria, on literally no evidence
How much do we really know about the alleged chemical attack in Syria? Almost nothing. Has anyone noticed? “… to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack…” Do we all understand what is gravely wrong with this phrase?…
The Skripal snafu: Whose interests are served by confrontation with Russia?
Theresa May is pushing a global showdown with Moscow over a shadowy poisoning case. Who stands to gain from this? Britain, the United States, numerous Continental allies, Canada, Australia and even NATO piled on the Skripal case this past week…
Let’s Not Fall Into the Cold-War Arms-Control Trap
For our national security, we need self-control more than we need arms-control talks. Let us think together about the letter four United States senators sent recently to the now departed secretary of state Rex Tillerson, urging him to start arms-control…
Behind this week’s Russia headlines: A mystery, a leap to conclusions and a fateful turn
Did the Russians try to murder a former spy? Maybe. But that has little to do with the larger Russophobe narrative What a week for the Russophobes. The British government pins an unsolved murder attempt on Moscow, and the French,…
Syria’s tragedy, America’s crime: The collapse of national sovereignty
Of all the tragedies befalling Syria and its people over the past seven years, there is one that cannot — or cannot precisely — be measured in casualty counts, ruined towns and cities, or the number of refugees now wandering…
Why Russia Is Emerging as the World’s Indispensable Diplomatic Power
Moscow, working in concert with others, has set courses toward the diplomatic resolution of several key conflicts. There was a remarkable succession of events in the skies over Syria earlier this month. I see lessons in what happened that none…
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