Section: US & Canada
Cartoon: Obama’s Politcally Motivated Veto
Justin Johnson wrote earlier this week on President Obama’s veto of the National Defense Authorization Act: Instead of dealing with the bill on its merits, Obama is using the defense bill for political leverage. This is the wrong way to handle our national security. Many Americans rightfully find Washington’s way of doing things...
The $117-a-Barrel Alliance
Russia and Iran have been teaming up to give the U.S. fits in the Middle East, but can this alliance last? A good piece in the WSJ examines the question: For Moscow, the Syrian war fits into its global strategy of creating a “multipolar” world in which Russia would re-emerge as one of the key powers alongside a declining America. The Kremlin is...
Welcome to the camp that trained 7-year-olds to be defenders of the Russian homeland
There was once a military training camp for the young in Europe, known as the Crimea Sich, that took place every year in August for two weeks. It was located in Crimea, a peninsula right below Ukraine and Russia. The Cossacks — an ethnic minority of East Slavic people who in 2014 helped Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine — would send kids as young...
Looking West: Lviv Models Itself As Ukraine’s Future
As Ukrainians vote in local elections on October 25, Lviv stands out among its peers as an example of what could be. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
Donetsk Rebels Ban Doctors Without Borders
Russian-backed rebels in Donetsk said on October 23 they had banned the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity group from operating in the separatist region in eastern Ukraine for unspecified violation of local laws. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
The surprising real names of A-list celebrities and the stories behind their stage names
Sometimes you need to change your name to make it as a star in Hollywood or the music business. When Michael Keaton accepted his best actor Golden Globe for “Birdman,” he told the crowd his birth name was actually Michael Douglas. He changed his name early in his career to avoid confusion with the actor and TV host Mike Douglas. He is...
Complicated local election rules draw wide criticism in Ukraine
KYIV – Just as Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko failed to ensure open party list voting in the 2014 parliamentary elections, now the local elections to take place on October 25 will also occur without genuine open party lists, which is widely considered the optimal voting system for Ukraine. Instead, Ukraine’s Parliament in July...
Ukraine vows to challenge Russia during stint on U.N. Security Council
On October 15, Ukraine won a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, giving the country a new platform to spar diplomatically with permanent veto-wielding member Russia. Ukraine won the mandate to represent Eastern European countries on the council. Four other countries – Egypt, Japan, Senegal, and Uruguay – were also elected...
In Ukraine’s east: Russian hybrid war and Euro-hybrid democracy
PART II Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande have prevailed on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to accommodate pseudo-elections in the Russian-controlled territory into a special Ukrainian law. Mr. Poroshenko himself, and the Ukrainian body politic at large, had even recently...
The political situation in Ukraine on the eve of nationwide local elections
October 15 Ukraine is nearing its third nationwide election campaign since the fall of Viktor Yanukovych’s kleptocratic regime early last year. The ballot marathon commenced with presidential and parliamentary votes in 2014, and is now being followed by local elections on October 25 (Kyiv Post, October 14). Many observers, analysts and even...
