Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the all-Russian youth forum Seliger, held in Tver region August 29, 2014. (Reuters / RIA Novosti / Mikhail Klimentyev)
Putin Mocks The West, Puts His Own Prestige On The Line -- Anna Nemtsova, Daily Beast
By proclaiming his support for Novorossiya, the old imperial name for eastern and southern Ukraine, Putin signals he won’t back away from the fight.
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up his rhetorical-historical claims on eastern Ukraine Friday, even as pro-Russian rebels and their allies among the separatist rebels pushed forward there with a new offensive.
The lead headline on the Kremlin’s own Web site declared that Putin had “addressed the Novorossiya militia,” a clear and unequivocal sign that Putin is putting his own prestige on the line to back the separatist movement. That fact will make it harder for him to back down (if he had any such inclination) and therefore much harder for an increasingly fretful Europe and the United States to come to terms with him.
Read more ....
Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- August 29, 2014
Russia's Slow-Motion Invasion of Ukraine -- Uri Friedman, The Atlantic
Mr. Putin Tests the West in Ukraine -- NYT editorial
The West must make Mr. Putin pay for his aggression -- Washington Post editorial
Media mull Western response to Ukraine crisis -- BBC
The World Will Watch This NATO Summit -- Jan Techau, RCW
A second Sunni Awakening? -- Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post
Crossing paths with James Foley in Syria’s desperate war -- James Palmer, Reuters
Analysts: France, Germany at Forefront of EU Foreign Diplomacy -- Lisa Bryant, VOA
Islamic State's Popular Appeal Presents Challenge for Jordan -- Reuters
Should President Obama Have Said There's No Strategy Yet Against ISIS? -- Erik Ortiz, NBC
Can Saudi Arabia help combat the Islamic State? -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Why Militant Groups Succeed -- Akhilesh Pillalamarri, The Diplomat
Battle of Ideas Moves Online -- New York Times
The Global Terrorist Arms Race -- Pete Hoekstra, NRO
Why the US swaps prisoners but doesn't pay ransom -- Brian Michael Jenkins, The Hill
U.S. Influence Drip-Dripping Away -- Adam Garfinkle, American Interest
Putin does not have to bring back the Russian economy all the way.
ReplyDeleteHe just needs the "cleanest dirty shirt".
People have wondered why so much cash has flowed to the U.S. when its' economy is anemic and the government has a growing mountain of debt. The explanation is that other places are worse.
With Russia's gas deals to China India and Europe and with de-dollarization around the globe, the U.S. might not have the cleanest dirty shirt. To put it another way Russia might not be th fastest runner, but it just has to be faster than the U.S.
If Putin enlarges Russia making Ukraine a rump state and the bounce back due to continued trade with Europe, India, China and the rest, Putin could very well pull this off.
After all Obama said he did not have a plan for anything that was not a domestic issue.
Thanks for your conclusion, i agree, Putin has BRICS and they are slowly but surely getting rid of the dollar, so wonder what the next reserve currency will be, i also read that Russia now has more gold than China.
ReplyDeleteThe money that resides in the Russia is unbelievable and never properly reported in the West. Here is a good example of it.
ReplyDeletehttp://warnewsupdates.blogspot.ca/2013/09/who-would-send-20-billion-in-euros-in.html
The Daily Mail does not reveal who owns this stash, but the Russian government did indicate during this time that it actually belong to a Russian national who has remain anonymous (and no it is not me). :)