Russia

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Scotland actually has a “Net Zero and Energy Minister,” Michael Matheson. Jane McLeod at the National writes that Matheson sees the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a wake-up call for Scotland to hit the accelerator regarding its green energy plans. Scotland already gets nearly 100% of […]

Russia

How The Coming Weeks Could Decide The Future Of The Ukraine War

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Reid Standish | – ( RFE/RL ) – This is not the war that Moscow was expecting. Ukrainian forces have put up stronger resistance than many military analysts predicted prior to Russia’s February 24 invasion, with Russian forces facing growing losses and a series of logistical setbacks that have left it regrouping and changing […]

Authoritarianism

Syrians Watch Ukraine with Fear and Hope: International Protections Provided to Ukrainians Can Still Be Extended to Syrians

Human Rights Watch

By Maya Ghazi | – ( Human Rights Watch ) – Over the past couple of years Syria has settled into a grim status quo: a crumbling economy, a fragmented nation, and the continued peril refugees face from forced returns home. Yet in the lead-up to the 11th anniversary of the Syrian revolution, there have […]

Authoritarianism

Putin’s brazen manipulation of language is a perfect example of Orwellian doublespeak

The Conversation

By Mark Satta, Wayne State University | – If you’ve been paying attention to how Russian President Vladimir Putin talks about the war in Ukraine, you may have noticed a pattern. Putin often uses words to mean exactly the opposite of what they normally do. He labels acts of war “peacekeeping duties.” He claims to […]

Donald Trump

Comrades in Crazy: Top 4 Putin Trolls in the Republican Party, starting with Tucker Carlson

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Vladimir Putin is admired on the American Right as no foreign leader has been since Adolf Hitler. Today’s counterparts of Charles Lindbergh and Father Coughlin are arguably more organized, and they have the advantage of prominent perches in both old and new media. 1. Tucker Carlson likes Putin in a […]

Dissent

Ukrainians took to the streets to avert a nuclear disaster. Will Americans do the same?

Waging Nonviolence

By Paul Gunter and Linda Pentz Gunter | – ( Waging Nonviolence) – On March 2, a striking news clip found its way onto the internet. It showed nuclear power plant workers and ordinary citizens blockading the access road to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. They stood solemnly in the street, waving Ukrainian […]

Israel/ Palestine

Palestinian Refugee Families expelled from Israel can’t Come Home, but 100K Ukrainians Admitted

Ramona Wadi

By Ramona Wadi | – ( Middle East Monitor )- Once again, Israel feels entitled to play the humanitarian card, with only Palestinians pointing out its selectivity when it comes to opening its doors to refugees. In February, The Jerusalem Post reported that 10,000 Jewish Ukrainian refugees would be entering Israel. The move was confirmed […]

Displaced and Refugees

Humanitarian corridors could help civilians safely leave Ukraine – but Russia has a history of not respecting these pathways

The Conversation

By Kirsten Gelsdorf and Jacob Kurtzer | – As Russia continues to target houses, apartment buildings, hospitals and civilians in Ukraine, there are mounting calls from international aid groups to safely evacuate and protect Ukrainians caught in the war. Simultaneously, rising numbers of people still in Ukraine are in desperate need of food, medical supplies, […]

Bashar al-Assad

This is Where We came in: Will Russia’s Syrian Mercenaries in Ukraine form a new Al-Qaeda?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On Thursday, according to Alarabiya (quoting Tass) Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he would permit foreign fighters from the Middle East to aid the Russian war effort in Ukraine. At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that some 16,000 fighters in the Middle East had expressed […]