Section: US & Canada
Defence Minister Nicholson not worried NATO’s plan might spark confrontation with Russia
By David Pugliese Defence Watch Defence Minister Rob Nicholson doesn’t seem too concerned that NATO’s plan to set up command centres in six Eastern European countries could lead to future clashes between the alliance and the Russians. NATO will expand its rapid response force from 13,000 to 30,000 soldiers and it will establish six...
Australia’s Prime Minister Future Uncertain Pending Leadership Vote
SYDNEY, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Embattled Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will face a vote on his leadership at a party-room meeting next week after disgruntled government lawmakers called a challenge on Friday following weeks of divisive speculation. A member of Abbott’s ruling conservative Liberal Party, Western Australian MP Luke...
French, German leaders push new peace plan for east Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine — Carrying a peace plan that reportedly incorporates proposals from Russia, the leaders of Germany and France met Thursday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a hastily arranged mission to bring an end to the accelerated fighting in the east of the country. …read more Source: Pittsburgh...
U.S. Hawks Say Arming Ukraine Is The Only Way To Save Europe. Actual Europeans Disagree.
WASHINGTON — Hours before Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) compared Europe’s attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin to appeasement toward Nazi Germany, the German ambassador here warned U.S. hawks not to see a military solution as the only way forward on Ukraine. Germany has “the sense this conflict is spiraling,”...
Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande being led into ‘trap’ in Russia peace talks, Ukraine says
Ukraine’s prime minister warned Thursday that the leaders of France and Germany were being led into a diplomatic “trap” as they headed to Moscow to push a peace plan for eastern Ukraine, as the Obama administration continued to struggle with the question of whether to provide U.S. weapons to aid … …read more Source:...
German, French Leaders To Unveil Ukraine Peace Plan
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are due to present a new Ukraine peace plan to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on February 6. …read more Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio...
European, US Leaders in Diplomatic Push for Peace in Ukraine
French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel went to the Ukrainian capital with a cease-fire proposal to end the violence in eastern Ukraine. Also in Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for an “immediate commitment” to a cease-fire. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more from NATO headquarters....
Goodbye, Putin
Why the President’s Days Are Numbered February 5, 2015 …read more Source: Foreign...
Coming of Age: Ukraine’s Maidan Student Generation Assesses Next Moves
Modern history has shown that student movements are often in the vanguard of radical social change, and Ukraine is no exception. One year ago on Maidan square, Kiev’s young generation played a pivotal role in protests which eventually managed to topple the unpopular government of Viktor Yanukovych. Since then, Ukraine has gone through...
From Georgia to Ukraine — lessons on surrender
Georgia’s example in breaking with its Soviet past inspires many Ukrainians. Georgian reformers from former President Mikheil Saakashvili’s cabinet have taken high-profile posts in the Ukrainian government recently, and Saakashvili himself is widely seen as a candidate for the job of chief corruption fighter in Kyiv. So perhaps the...
