Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- April 1, 2014

President Barack Obama holds a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk of Ukraine in the Oval Office, March 12, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

10 Tough Questions Obama Needs to Answer on Ukraine -- Jeffrey Tayler, The Atlantic

The president should spell out what he is ready to do if Putin strikes again.

MOSCOW—Despite assurances by Vladimir Putin to the contrary, there is, so far, no evidence that Russian troops are withdrawing from the border with Ukraine. The standoff in the region, in fact, is far from over—and Putin, Western tough talk and sanctions be damned, still has the upper hand.

In recent days, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov concluded fruitless negotiations in Paris, while Russia massed troops and materiel on Ukraine’s eastern flank, including 3C-82 mobile broadcasting stations and BRDM-2 armored espionage vehicles equipped with loudspeakers (both of which are useful during an invasion to broadcast orders to enemy troops and civilians on the street). Finland has confirmed that Russia is conducting a three-day nuclear-war exercise and air-force drill on its border. Speaking to a Swedish newspaper over the weekend, Andrey Illarionov, Putin’s former economic advisor (and now opponent), declared that the Russian president hopes to “regain” Belarus, Finland, Ukraine, and the Baltic states.

Read more ....

Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Russia and the U.S. Negotiate the Future of Ukraine -- George Friedman, Startfor

As Russia warns Ukraine, NATO moves to embrace it -- Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

Why Russia is spooked -- Fareed Zakaria, CNN

Are the Baltics the Next Crimea? -- Lt. Col. Donald Thieme USMC, USNI

Why the Ukraine Crisis Won't Save NATO -- Rajan Menon, National Interest

Ukraine: how to lose a country -- The Guardian editorial

How the Ukraine Crisis May Change the World -- Paul Taylor, New York Times/Reuters

Prime Minister Erdogan’s Revenge -- New York Times editorial

Rigging the Afghan Vote -- Anand Gopal, New Yorker

Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai is giving up his power – but not his influence -- Emma Graham-Harrison, The Guardian

Is China Losing Taiwan? -- William Pesek, Bloomberg

In Troubled States, New Governments With the Same Old Problems -- Adam Nossiter, New York Times

Why aren't Europe's young people rioting any more? -- Costas Lapavitsas and Alex Politaki, The Guardian

West stumbles as autocratic force trumps economics -- David Rohde, Reuters

How To Destroy The Stock Market In 8 Steps -- Julia La Roche, Business Insider

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