Why is Ukraine’s Economy in Such a Mess? from the Economist [of London]
"The economic turmoil reflects recent political instability. But Ukraine’s economic problems were long in the making. Dodgy economic policy, distaste for reform and endemic corruption have brought the country to its knees. In the immediate post-Soviet era Ukraine was a massively unproductive economy."
Ukraine Crisis: Russia's Neighbors Boost Defenses As Crimea Conflict Deepens from Reuters
"U.S. fighter jets go to Lithuania as the crisis in Ukraine deepens. Poland talks about modernising its military. Latvia calls for more defence spending. Traditionally neutral Sweden calls for a "doctrinal shift" in defence. After a sense of playing second fiddle for years while NATO's eyes were on wars such as Afghanistan, some European countries near Russia's borders are now planning to spend more money on defence as well as hoping for more NATO resources ."
These conversations are so long overdue, I can't help but worry that they are too little-too late. Look for Putin to strong-arm central and western European powers to shut up and back off. With his hand on the natural gas spigot to Europe and as the major investors in recent Russian development, Europeans have A LOT to lose and very little leverage on their side.
The Age-Old Connection Between Russia and Ukraine is Over (Vitaly Portnikov) from the New Republic
"Of course, this is painful, this is unpleasant, this is irritating. But for us there is no longer any Russia of any kind. There is only an occupier, treacherous and mindless."
10 Lies? Russians Fire Back (Ellen Barry) from the New York Times
"Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not amused by the unorthodox statement from the State Department under the title “President Putin’s Fiction: 10 False Claims About Ukraine,” which rebutted a series of assertions by the Russian president in the eye-catching format of a top-10 list."
Ukraine Fights for Its Truth (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times
"For nations like Ukraine, Europe is escape from the torment of their history. ... Now the spread eastward of NATO and the European Union — the greatest of post-Cold-War achievements — has allowed the Baltic states to begin disentangling truth from lies in the carnage of their histories. That is what westward-gazing Ukrainians are fighting for at the most basic level: truth over lies."
Munich's Lessons for the Ukraine Crisis (Peter Harris) from the National Interest
"Whether or not White House officials themselves see any prescriptive merit in the lessons of Munich, the administration undoubtedly will be keen to avoid criticism that the president is an appeaser—an allegation levelled with gusto by Obama’s detractors ... . Yet a thorough consideration of what transpired at Munich offers a more subtle lesson for those who seek to preserve peace and stability than just a dictum against appeasement."
Harris's general point is well-taken -- although his proscriptions and details I think are off base and/or will make little or no difference.
The Best Defense: The Future of War (Thomas Ricks) from Foreign Policy Magazine
" Why would our future-future enemy face us on equal terms when we're apparently very vulnerable to asymmetrical, low-tech attack? There's already compelling evidence that the Chinese are developing heavy-duty low-tech cruise missiles designed to sink American naval vessels, from cruisers to aircraft carriers, and sophisticated anti-air platforms for our designer fighters."
It Looks Like Obamacare Is Finally Making Progress With The Uninsured from Talking Points Memo
"More than four million Americans have enrolled in private coverage under the law, according to the Obama administration, and the law will likely come closer to the Congressional Budget Office's initial projection of seven million enrollees than most would have thought possible after HealthCare.gov's disastrous launch."
Study: Millennials Deeply Confused About Their Politics, Finances, and Culture (Derek Thompson) from the Atlantic
"Or at least deeply contradictory: They're always connected but distrustful. They're selfish yet accepting of minorities. They're "independents" who mostly vote Democratic and love Obama while hating Obamacare."
A New Report Shows How Young Liberals Own the Future of American Politics (Jonathan Chait) from New York Magazine
"The Pew Research Institute has dominated the field of exploring the ideological cleavages among different generations. And its latest survey shows again how the liberalism of the youngest voting cohort, millennials, remains firm, and likely to continue to recast the electorate."
Report: How GOP Lost Young Voters from Politico
"The college Republicans warned that the party’s primary message of cutting taxes and reducing the size of government failed to resonate. In fact, one of the CRNC’s polls found that 54 percent of young voters said “taxes should go up on the wealthy” while only 3 percent said “taxes should be cut for the wealthy.” Bashing Big Government also didn’t play well and was even damaging, according to some of the focus groups, the study found."
Tea Party Eats Their Own (David Freelander) from the Daily Beast
"New GOP primary challengers are looking to serve their Tea Party challengers a scalding hot cuppa change. Their goal? To oppose!"
Oops, He’s Running Again! Rick Perry Wows CPAC (Joan Walsh) from Salon
"Conservatives say Perry’s pain-free, rested and ready for 2016. That just shows how weak the GOP field really is."
TSARIST RUSSIA NUGGET!!
Land of the Tzars in colour: Fascinating photographs show the people and places of pre-revolutionary Russia from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Colour photographs from one of Russia's most famous photographers, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky. Tsar Nicholas II commissioned him with taking photographs after being impressed by a colour portrait of Tolstoy. The pictures, from the early 1900s, show Russia on the brink of the First World War and on the cusp of revolution.
HITLER"S GERMANY NUGGET!!
Chilling archive of the teenage Nazi: Camping gear emblazoned with the Swastika, a six-inch dagger and a diary that reveals Hitler Youth member’s infatuation with the Fuhrer from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"The Hitler Youth was used to train young Nazis for the army. A chilling archive from a member is going up for auction in Britain. It includes photos of youngsters who went on to die for the Third Reich."
No comments:
Post a Comment