Section: The Huffington Post (USA)
Vladimir Putin Defends Move To Approve Sale Of Missile System To Iran
MOSCOW (AP) — 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT; 7:30 a.m. EDT) President Vladimir Putin says the West must respect Russia’s interests if it wants to normalize diplomatic relations. Putin said Thursday during a televised call-in show that the United States “doesn’t need allies, they only need vassals.” He said Russia would never accept...
By Misunderstanding Crimea, the West Is Pushing Russia Further Away
On the recent anniversary of the Russian annexation of Crimea, residents of the peninsula came out on the streets to celebrate waving flags, cheering and clapping. There was music and dancing. The Night Wolves, a biker gang known for having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, joined all the way from Moscow. Crimea escaped civil war,...
Can Sanctions on Iran ‘Snap Back’?
In selling the new framework agreement reached between Iran and the six world powers known as the P5+1, President Obama has assured an apprehensive American public that if Iran breaches the terms of a final deal, he will “snap back” the sanctions. That refers to mechanisms that would maximize the president’s flexibility in order...
Ukraine, Politics of History and Jewish Identity: A Personal Story
To the extent that western media focuses on Ukraine at all, it tends to focus primarily on Kiev’s war with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country. Yet dig a little deeper and it becomes clear that Ukraine confronts many other significant problems which are frequently neglected or overlooked. Take, for example, the pressing...
Ukraine Is Attempting to Wipe Away Its Past
MOSCOW — Ukraine recently adopted a raft of laws designed to strip the country of all reminders of its Soviet and communist past. What began as a haphazard effort to oust unwanted political opponents and tear down monuments to Vladimir Lenin and other communist leaders after the current regime came to power last year has now become a...
Putin’s Nordic Miscalculation
HELSINKI – Vladimir Putin is proving to be a tactical genius but a strategic blunderer. Perhaps the most important geostrategic result of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine is occurring 800 miles to the north in Scandinavia, whose sturdy governments, rather than being cowed by unsubtle Russian attempts at intimidation, are instead coordinating...
Iran’s President Rouhani Says Nuke Deal Depends On Lifting Sanctions
By Parisa Hafezi and Sam Wilkin ANKARA/DUBAI, April 15 (Reuters) – Iran said on Wednesday it would only accept a deal over its contested nuclear program if world powers simultaneously lifted all sanctions imposed on it. The comments by President Hassan Rouhani came the day after U.S. President Barack Obama was forced to give Congress a say...
Russia Makes the First Move With Iran — Early Bird Special
Co-authored by William Witenberg a contemporary artist focused on abstract painting Russia announced that it is going to begin selling Iran its s-300 missile defense system. This ends the ban that was placed in 2010 as part of the sanctions the United Nations imposed on Iran. The s-300 is a ground to air system that can shoot down planes or...
Chomsky: ‘I Don’t Look at Twitter Because It Doesn’t Tell Me Anything’
This is an interview for Byline, a crowdfunded independent media platform that gives you a personalized newspaper. The platform beta-launched on April 14th. You can read the original interview here. Seung-yoon Lee is co-founder and CEO of Byline. He was the first East Asian President of the Oxford Union, the world’s prestigious debating...
Why the West Needs to Ditch Its Exceptionalist Mindset
HONG KONG — In the last few years, there has been a remarkable rise in the number of headlines urging the West to take the lead on a variety of issues — global economic policies, democracy promotion, freedom of speech, human rights, corruption. The common sentiment behind all of these headlines is that the West is key to solving...
