Section: News & Summaries

      Saudi Arabia’s Unlikely Flirtation with Russia and Israel
      Jun26

      Saudi Arabia’s Unlikely Flirtation with Russia and Israel

      Saudi Arabia’s recent courtship with Russia and Israel should be understood as a failure of the United States government to assure Saudi Arabia of their security. For much of the last 35 years Saudi Arabia has looked to the United States as a beacon of security and a source of political clout. This relationship was born out of, and in...

      Is Democracy in Retreat?
      Jun26

      Is Democracy in Retreat?

      As part of the Millenium Project, 15 Global Challenges have been established to provide a framework to assess the global and local prospects for humanity. One of these urgent challenges is the retreat of democracy around the world as more nations roll back the hard fought democratic freedoms. After peaking in the late 1990s, democracy around the...

      Why the West Should Give Ukraine’s New Spymaster a Chance
      Jun25

      Why the West Should Give Ukraine’s New Spymaster a Chance

      Late June in Kyiv can be beautiful. With clear skies, temperatures peaking in the high 70s, the natural beauty of the city and its citizens, it can be easy to forget that the country is at war. In part that is a result of the country’s success. A year ago, few would have predicted that the country’s armed forces would fight the...

      Hey, Remember Me? It’s Europe.
      Jun25

      Hey, Remember Me? It’s Europe.

      The Transatlantic Alliance is in Trouble “We lived next to Russia for 500 years—listen to what we have to say,” Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said at the Bratislava Global Security Forum on June 20. He’s right. The West needs to pay attention and achieve strategic clarity in Europe and beyond before it’s too...

      ‘Putin lying about Russian troops’

      Several activists in Russia are gathering evidence which they say proves the Kremlin is waging war with Ukraine. …read more Source:...

      Russia Bans Freedom to Report, Says Top Investigative Journalist
      Jun24

      Russia Bans Freedom to Report, Says Top Investigative Journalist

      Russia’s Foreign Ministry has banned US investigative journalist Simon Ostrovsky from working in Russia. On June 4, it denied a press visa for Ostrovsky, an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist best known for his coverage of the Ukraine crisis for VICE News. …read more Source: Atlantic...

      Mac Thornberry Warns of Growing Threats in Face of Likely Obama Defense Bill Veto
      Jun24

      Mac Thornberry Warns of Growing Threats in Face of Likely Obama Defense Bill Veto

      Mac Thornberry, the new chairman of the US House Armed Services Committee, accused President Barack Obama on June 23 of “holding hostage” the nation’s security by threatening to veto the annual defense appropriations bill, which passed the Senate on June 18 by seventy-one to twenty-five with “overwhelming bipartisan support.” Thornberry...

      Armenian protesters defy police

      Protesters defied police, ignoring a call to disperse and digging in for a new day of protests against electricity price hikes. ||| Yerevan – Hundreds of protesters defied police on Wednesday in the Armenian capital, ignoring a call to disperse and digging in for a new day of protests against electricity price hikes and police violence.On...

      Here’s How to Crowdsource Ukrainian Language and Culture
      Jun23

      Here’s How to Crowdsource Ukrainian Language and Culture

      On a scorching Saturday afternoon in the Pechersk district of Kyiv, a group of five young people take refuge in a cool alcove hidden at the back of the Ivan Honchar Museum for a free Ukrainian class. Together, for ninety minutes, they discuss that week’s subject, studentstvo (“student life”), learning new Ukrainian words to...

      Putin ‘saved my life’- Yanukovych

      Former Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for “saving my life” during the bloody demonstrations that led to his ouster. …read more Source:...