Ukraine

( Tomdispatch.com ) – In certain quarters in this country, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has generated enthusiasm for a new cold war. At the New York Times, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin have been described as “children of the [old] Cold War” now involved in a “face off,” an “eyeball to eyeball” confrontation harkening […]

Banking

Top 7 Ways Iran evaded US Sanctions that Putin could Follow

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The sorts of sanctions and boycotts the United States and its allies are placing on Russia resemble those applied by Washington to Iran off and on in the past decade, though so far the measures in place against Tehran are still far more severe than what has been done to […]

Human Rights

Putin is Thumbing his Nose at International Law – Betting that the Age of Impunity will Continue

The Conversation

By Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton | – Images of pregnant women fleeing a bombed maternity ward in Mariupol, Ukraine, raised again the question of how far the Russian military will be willing to go to conquer the country – and whether war crimes are being committed. In just over two weeks of the invasion, […]

Climate Crisis

Russia-driven Energy Crisis leads Wind Superpower Scotland to Floor the Accelerator on Renewables

Juan Cole

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 […]