Section: US & Canada
Ukraine Needs to Address Its Paramilitary Problem
Michael Sheldon Security, Europe Volunteer battalions represent a legitimacy dilemma for the Ukrainian government. Since the conclusion of Maidan, politically motivated private security actors operating in parallel with the Ukrainian government have played an integral part in the country’s security landscape. While some have been...
NYT: Manafort Owed Pro-Russia Interests Millions Before Joining Trump Team
Paul Manafort owed millions of dollars to pro-Russia interests before he became President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman last year, the New York Times reported late Wednesday. According to the New York Times report, which cited financial records filed in Cyprus in 2016, Manafort — who kept bank accounts in the low tax jurisdiction — owed...
Trump Jr., Manafort To Testify Before Senate Panel Next Week
President Donald Trump’s eldest son and former campaign chairman are slated to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week. Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort are among the big-ticket names now expected at a July 26 hearing as part of that panel’s probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and the foreign...
Ukraine’s separatists propose a new country: Little Russia. Kremlin denies any involvement
The Russian government said it was taken by surprise Tuesday when the rebel leader of a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine proposed the creation of a new nation state called Malorossiya, or Little Russia. The head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, told reporters… …read more Source: Los...
Russia’s War of Inches
The Russian government would rather ask for forgiveness than permission. Its foreign policy for years has depended on establishing “facts on the ground.” Once the Kremlin’s forces or its allies take what they want, the Foreign Ministry is happy to commit to accords that cement their aggression in place. Take, for example, recent...
Anti-Semitism, Hungary and Netanyahu: What you need to know
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Hungarian President Janos Ader in Budapest, July 18, 2017. (Haim Zach/Israeli Government Press Office) (JTA) — To critics of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister’s visit to Hungary this week was a disgrace and an abandonment of local Jews in their fight against a government...
Trump once said Jon Huntsman was “weak.” Now he’s picked him to be the Russian ambassador.
He’s got his work cut out for him. Donald Trump once slammed former Utah governor and GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman as a “lightweight” and accused him of “[giving] away our country to China” when he was the US ambassador there. Now, Trump has decided to reward him with the toughest diplomatic gig in Washington today:...
Poroshenko Visits Boundary ‘Abyss’ Between Georgia And South Ossetia
On a visit to Georgia, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described the line between Russia-backed separatists in South Ossetia and Georgian government-held territory as an “abyss” between the past and the future. (RFE/RL’s Georgian Service) …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Pavel Sheremet: The Life And Violent Death Of A Journalist
Journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed by a car bomb in Kyiv on July 20, 2016. One year on, Ukrainian authorities still have not identified any suspects. Sheremet was a well-known reporter who had worked at prominent media outlets in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine during his career. He was often threatened and harassed for his hard-hitting journalism...
Chamberfest preview: 10 epic, eclectic shows that are sure to stimulate
ChamberfestWhen: July 22 to Aug. 4Where: various venuesTickets and info: chamberfest.com From renditions of classical music’s greatest hits to cross-cultural and cross-genre experiments that would be the envy of any thoughtful festival, there are many promising concerts to sort from the dozens of presentations at this year’s...
