Section: The Huffington Post (USA)
Reinventing the Left in Poland
Poland was both the most likely and the most unlikely place to expect the rebirth of the Left. The country has a rich Left tradition that predates the Communist period, and many figures of the anti-Communist opposition, like Jacek Kuron, considered themselves on the Left. At the same time, however, the Polish Left has already struck out twice...
4 Crucial International News Stories You May Have Completely Missed This Year
From the war in Gaza to the crisis in Ukraine, the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East and the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico, 2014 was a year of major political and economic developments across the globe. But the barrage of breaking news can make it hard to see the forest through the trees. Take a look at these four crucial...
Russia Entering ‘Full-Fledged Economic Crisis,’ Former Finance Minister Says
* Kudrin: Russia to be downgraded to ‘junk’ status next year * Says government slow to respond to economic difficulties * Sees 2015 inflation at 12-15 per cent By Darya Korsunskaya MOSCOW, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Russia’s government has pushed …read more Source: The Huffington...
Ukraine Crisis In Mind, Lithuania Establishes A Rapid Reaction Force
RUKLA, Lithuania — Maj. Linas Pakutka walked back and forth behind the line of soldiers lying in the snow-crusted field, a row of distant pines forming a jagged horizon in the twilight sky. His command to fire was barely audible in the fierce wind. …read more Source: The Huffington...
Obama Takes Foreign Policy Risk, But On His Own Terms
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has been criticized as cautious on foreign policy, but the secret negotiations on Cuba suggest a willingness for bold and risky action, if he can keep tight control and rely on a few close aides.It’s a pattern Obama followed during clandestine talks with Iran that led to an interim nuclear deal and...
Russia Dismisses New U.S. Sanctions As Useless
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Saturday dismissed new U.S. sanctions as useless and said it was poised to wait as long as it takes for the U.S. to recognize its historic right to the Crimean peninsula. Following several rounds of sanctions earlier this year, President Barack Obama on Friday approved new restrictions on Crimea which Russia annexed in...
19 Of The Best Snow Scenes In Art
Today marks the official start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, otherwise known as the Winter Solstice. Or, if you prefer, the most wonderful time of the year. ‘Tis the season of rosy cheeks, icy sidewalks and hot chocolate, all the makings of a spectacular Bing Crosby holiday movie. But winter would not be winter without its pièce de...
Germany, Anti-Islam, and Vladimir Putin
On Monday, December 15, as reported by the German news service Deutsche Welle (DW), some 15,000 people massed in Dresden, Germany, under the banner of a new and seemingly informal movement calling itself Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West — PEGIDA by its German-language acronym. The incident was the ninth PEGIDA rally...
Ukraine: What is the Position of Ethnic Minorities? An Activist Speaks
While the media has focused on political and even military friction between Ukrainians and Russians, few have paid much attention to the status of other ethnic minorities living within Ukraine. Recently, while I was conducting research in Kyiv, I interviewed Denis Pilash, a left wing political activist who hails from the western region of...
Weekend Roundup: New Code War Is Not Funny
It took an insolent Hollywood comedy mocking the surreal character of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to awaken us to the dangers of a new code war, a war in which geopolitical and geo-cultural battles will be duked out in cyberspace. As Alec Ross, America’s top digital diplomat when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, writes this week...
