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Brookings Institute: If We Relax, Putin Will Relax

Brookings Institute: If We Relax, Putin Will Relax

In a March 15 article in Spiegel Online, Brookings Institute experts Fiona Hill and Glifford Gaddy suggested that if the West would just relax, Russian President Vladimir Putin might relax as well. Gaddy said he could imagine Putin rejecting the

Russian Tycoon Dumps Investment to Dodge U.S. Sanctions

Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko sold his stake in Gunvor a day before being named in sanctions announced by the United States over the Ukraine crisis, the Swiss-based commodity trading company said Thursday. Forbes has ranked oil and gas tycoon Timchenko

4 Ways Putin Has Exploited Obama's Words

4 Ways Putin Has Exploited Obama's Words

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dramatically outplayed President Barack Obama in his current invasion of Crimea. That’s largely thanks to Obama’s ideological reluctance to cite American interests as a rationale for opposition to Putin’s imperialism; instead, Obama has variously cited

Venezuelan Secret Police Arrest Opposition Mayor

Venezuelan Secret Police Arrest Opposition Mayor

Daniel Ceballos, the mayor of San Cristóbal, Táchira, was arrested late Wednesday night by Venezuelan secret intelligence agents as President Nicolás Maduro continues to crack down on members of the opposition party, Popular Will. Ceballos, who runs the city known

Putin's Slow and Steady Reconquista of Latin America

Putin's Slow and Steady Reconquista of Latin America

When Russia annexed Crimea this week, few looked to South America for Russian support. Yet Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Argentinian President Cristina Fernández were lauding the conquest. Their support is no surprise: Putin has been cultivating it for years, reaping the rewards as the continent

Turkey PM Threatens to 'Wipe Out' Twitter

Turkey PM Threatens to 'Wipe Out' Twitter

Turkey’s combative prime minister warned on Thursday that he would eradicate Twitter after a number of audio recordings anonymously posted on social media purportedly exposed corruption in his inner circle. Early this month, Erdogan warned that his government could ban

Pro-Russian Forces Capture Two Ukrainian Ships

Pro-Russian Forces Capture Two Ukrainian Ships

On Thursday, pro-Russian forces continued their assault on Ukrainians in Crimea as they captured the Khmelnitsky and Lutsk warships. Pro-Russian forces also took over military bases earlier in the week, and one assault led to the death of a Ukrainian

Russia's State Duma Approves Treaty to Annex Crimea

Russia's State Duma Approves Treaty to Annex Crimea

The treaty to fully absorb Crimea into the Russian Federation was introduced to the lower house of parliament. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has met with Secretary of State John Kerry many times, said the treaty must be approved. “I

Putin Thinks the West Is as Weak as Jelly

Putin Thinks the West Is as Weak as Jelly

Max Hastings writes at the Daily Mail about the West’s tepid response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea: The West’s outrage at Russia’s illegal annexation of the Crimea found full expression at Monday’s meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. It was