Eastern Europe

By Gregory Carleton, Tufts University | – The range of anti-Russian measures taken by countries around the world since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is virtually unprecedented and hearkens back to the darkest days of the Cold War. They’ve assumed many forms but broadly include economic sanctions, military support for Ukraine and boycotts […]

Joe Biden

Can President Biden Wage Economic war against Russian Aggression without Hurting US Economy?

The Conversation

By Gorana Grgić, University of Sydney | – Any sort of analysis that tries to draw lessons from an evolving event such as an ongoing major war is a potentially futile task. On the one hand, there is a fog of war that prevents us from understanding the tactical developments. On the other hand, the […]

Hungary

Can sanctions ever be just — let alone effective?

H. Patricia Hynes

( Fellowship of Conciliation/ Waging Nonviolence ) – As a result of its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Russia is now the most sanctioned country in the world, leading one former Obama administration Treasury official to describe the situation as “financial nuclear war.” Western European countries, however, depend on Russian oil and gas, so they have […]

Russia

Ukraine: Why Russian assault on Donbas will be Protracted and Bloody

The Conversation

By Frank Ledwidge, University of Portsmouth | – There will be no peace deals, no ceasefires and no surrenders in Ukraine. The next two months will bring what US defence officials have called “a knife fight” in the area the Ukrainian army call “The Joint Forces Operation” (JFO). We know this region better as Donbas. […]

Featured

Zelensky warns against Russian “Blood Oil;” In fact, buying any Oil is paying Blood Money

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The BBC reports that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, during an interview, accused Germany and Hungary of paying “blood money” for Russian petroleum. Russia could earn $320 billion from energy exports in 2022, fueling Moscow’s war machine. Zelensky is perhaps making an analogy to blood diamonds, an issue Aryn Baker explained […]

Russia

Manifesto published in Russian media reflects Putin regime’s ruthless plans in Ukraine

The Conversation

By Susanne Sternthal, Texas State University | – Shortly after footage emerged of the carnage Russian troops left behind in the town of Bucha, Ukraine, an article was published April 4, 2022, in one of the largest Russian state-run media companies. The article called for even more bloodshed in Ukraine. Written by journalist and Kremlin-aligned […]

Feminism

Vladimir Putin, the Czar of macho Politics, is threatened by Gender and Sexuality Rights

The Conversation

By Valerie Sperling, Alexandra Novitskaya, Janet Elise Johnson, and Lisa McIntosh Sundstrom | – Vladimir Putin has mentioned “gender freedoms” more than once to justify Russia’s war against Ukraine and simultaneously crack down on its own citizens. Most directly, he alleged that Russian citizens who seek “gender freedoms” (alongside foie gras and oysters) are part […]

Featured

Is Joe Biden Right that the Russians are committing Genocide in Ukraine?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Kevin Liptak reports for CNN that on a visit to Iowa President Biden talked to reporters about Russian actions in Ukraine and for the first time called it “genocide.” Last week, the president and spokesmen for his administration had avoided using that term. Biden said, “I called it genocide because […]

Iraq War

From Mosul to Raqqa to Mariupol, Killing Civilians is a Crime no Matter Who Does it

Medea Benjamin and Nicholas J.S. Davies

( Code Pink ) – Americans have been shocked by the death and destruction of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, filling our screens with bombed buildings and dead bodies lying in the street. But the United States and its allies have waged war in country after country for decades, carving swathes of destruction through cities, towns […]