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Prospects of Military Reform in Russia Are Bleak
MOSCOW — The drastic military reform plans articulated by Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in mid-October are meeting with a sweeping opposition in the armed forces. The planned cuts among officers...
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Putin’s Bid for a Presidential Comeback
MOSCOW — Premier Vladimir Putin’s three-hour-plus interaction with the Russian populace showed that the prime minister rather than President Dmitry Medvedev remains in charge of the national...
View ArticleBailout a la Russe: Government Establishes Tight Control Over Industries
The Russian government is aggressively exploiting the current economic downturn to step up its grip over the economy and actually nationalize most of the lucrative industries. The past week saw new...
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Goings-on in Kremlin and Around It
MOSCOW – The past week’s developments gave lots of food for conjecture and speculations among Kremlinologists both within Russia and beyond. The regime – President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister...
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Medvedev Flirting with Democracy: What Stands Behind
The past week saw an unprecedented number of President Dmitry Medvedev’s public acts towards civil society institutions. He was interviewed by the opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta, met with...
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Russia Sets Limits on U.N. Iran Sanctions
The Obama Administration continues to talk up the prospects for strong U.N. sanctions on Iran at the same time that it is becoming increasingly clear the United States is unlikely to persuade Russia...
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Morning Bell: No Rush to Judgment on New START
Last week, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) expressed concern over the U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) now before the Senate. The senator particularly questioned the treaty’s limits on...
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Medvedev-Obama: The Cheeseburger Summit
Following months of intense diplomacy between the United States and Russia focusing on “resetting” bilateral relations, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited the United States for two days. The...
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New START Treaty Vote Predicted in Lame Duck Session
The New START Treaty, a treaty signed between the U.S. and Russia, is promoted by the Obama Administration as a means toward a reduction of nuclear weapons between the nations. Senator Richard Lugar...
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Russia’s Iran Dilemma
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently stated that there is no proof that Iran is building nuclear weapons. The Russian Federation has held this position for a long time. However, Lavrov...
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Why Is Medvedev, not Putin, in China?
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in China on Sunday to expand energy cooperation between the two countries. The new deal includes building a 13-million-ton-per-year oil refinery in the city...
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‘Do it for Dmitry’ Is Poor Policy
In his latest Los Angeles Times article, Doyle McManus identifies President Obama’s attempts to sell New START, the nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia, to the Republicans in the...
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Russia: New Media, Old Tactics
Did Russian President Dmitry Medvedev blush when he signed off on the G-8 declaration of the “Renewed Commitment for Freedom and Democracy” at last week’s G-8 Summit in Deauville, France? Probably...
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Russia Bars an Opposition Party from Running in Duma Elections
Last week the government of Russia banned a center-right democratic opposition party from participating in elections. At the same time, the Kremlin propped up a small party led by a friendly oligarch....
View ArticleKudrin’s Dismissal Projects Future Instability in Russia
On Monday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev forced Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin to resign. Medvedev’s harsh treatment of Kudrin was a response to the statement Kudrin made over the weekend....
View ArticleVIDEO: Chess Champ Garry Kasparov Hopes Arab Spring Spreads to Russia
Garry Kasparov mastered the game of chess to become a world-famous champion. These days he’s facing a much tougher opponent: the corrupt leadership of Russia. Kasparov, a leader of the Russia...
View ArticleDinner with Putin: And What About Russia’s Foreign Policy?
Last Friday, this author had the opportunity to dine in the company of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, his senior staff, and the attendees of the annual Valdai Club meeting at Le Cheval Blanc, a...
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Obama to Medvedev: “Give Me Space” on Missile Defense
The United States does not need to protect itself from the threat of ballistic missiles right now. At least that is what President Obama suggests with his recent exchange between himself and Russian...
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Obama’s Comments to Medvedev Reveal Missile Defense Policy
It is a fundamental trust the American people put in a President that he will do all within his power to defend them against foreign military threats. This trust is no less applicable to threats posed...
View ArticleMorning Bell: Obama Whispers Away America’s Security
It is hard to overstate the dangerous implications of what happened this week when President Obama was caught by an open mic sending a message to Russia’s dictator-in-waiting to wait quietly till after...
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Putin Celebrates Inauguration Amidst Protests
Police officers detain an anti-Putin protester at the central Dvortsovaya Square in Saint-Petersburg , on May 7, 2012. On the eve of his third inauguration, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with...
View ArticleVIDEO: The Bloggers Briefing Featuring Author Dinesh D’Souza
What will America look like in 2016? Dinesh D’Souza is troubled by the big-government policies that President Obama has implemented in his first term. He’s terrified about what could be in store for...
View ArticleNews Flash for the Pentagon: U.S.–Russian “Reset” Failed
On Wednesday, Under Secretary of Defense Jim Miller argued that the Obama Administration’s “reset” policy with Russia had succeeded. According to Miller, rapproachment with Russia has enabled the U.S....
View ArticleObama’s “Reset” with Russia: A Long Retreat
The disgraceful firing of Radio Liberty’s loyal Moscow staff on September 20 and 21 is the latest chapter in the Obama’s Administration’s Russia policy retreat, also known as the “reset.” Forty-one...
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Russia Ramps Up Missile Tests
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently oversaw a strategic exercise—including a series of coordinated missile tests—that drew on Russia’s nuclear “triad” (bombers, intercontinental-range ballistic...
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By Banning U.S. Adoption of Russian Orphans, Russia Shot Itself in the Foot
Children play in their bedroom at a Russian orphanage. (Photo: Reuters/Vladimir Konstantinov/Newscom) Last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously condemned Russia’s new draconian law—whose victims are...
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Dead Man on Trial: Russian Whistleblower Tried After Death
Sergei Magnitsky. Photo: PhotoXpress/ZumaPress/Newscom The Russian government is set to posthumously try the brutally murdered whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky for tax fraud. While working for Hermitage...
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Morning Bell: What Reagan Knew About Missile Defense
It would take only 33 minutes for a missile to reach the U.S. from anywhere in the world. That’s a sobering thought when North Korea is taunting America with threatening video propaganda about its...
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Russia Conducts Unannounced Searches of Human Rights Groups
Newscom Russian law enforcement agents have conducted hundreds of unannounced searches of Russian non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Authorities have searched 600 organizations across the country...
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Cyprus Bank Bailout: Russia Partly to Blame
Tanya Talaga/ZUMA Press/Newscom As Cypriots come to grips with this week’s agreement to bail out its banks, Russian policymakers need to think about why their citizens are involved in this crisis....
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