Armenia’s “Electric Yerevan” protests against a hike in power tariffs coincide with Armenia’s sale of a massive complex of dams to a little-known US company with US government approval. We look at how it could impact US influence in the region. Protests over electricity price hikes in Armenia follow the …
Read More »Turkey’s Post-Election Scene: The AKP-CHP Option
In the aftermath of the June 7 elections, many coalition options are now being discussed in Ankara. TheAKP–CHP option deserves special attention, as it would bring the country’s two largest parties together. The coalition could potentially end a protracted era of political polarization in Turkey. Here are some …
Read More »Putin advises US against dictating decisions to Russia
“Please, let us make decisions regarding our interests and requirements on our own, proceeding from our history and culture,” Putin said. ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States against the intention of speaking to Russia in an ultimatum-like language and urged …
Read More »Russia Pushing Through Sale of Advanced Missile Systems to Iran
Russia could sell Iran advanced Almaz-2500 anti-aircraft missile systems after Tehran withdraws a lawsuit against Moscow for canceling a previous weapons delivery, newspaper Kommersant reported Monday citing an unidentified Kremlin source. Such a sale would increase Iran’s ability to repel air attacks and — critics say — protect …
Read More »After Greece: Germany and Europe On the Ruins of Multiple Illusions
What we are witnessing in Greece and beyond, in Europe, is an absurd, but not entirely unexpected spectacle. During the past couple of decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, there has never been such a powerful agglomeration of political …
Read More »US, NATO Bracing for Long-Term Standoff With Russia Under Putin and Beyond
Instead of building bridges and accepting Russia’s stance as having merit, the US and the North Atlantic Alliance have chosen to immerse themselves in shaping up for a lasting showdown with Moscow. The standoff could last years or even decades, according to the Pentagon chief, who defended the US …
Read More »US, Britain Want to ‘Weaken EU, Impoverish Russia’
Washington and London have very specific plans regarding continental Europe and Russia: they want to weaken the first and impoverish the latter to prevent them from uniting into a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, the US policy towards Europe and Russia does not make any sense. “Modern Russia …
Read More »Directed against Russian Cities, Pentagon Considers Deploying Nuclear Missiles to Europe
On June 4 a portion of a report by Army General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was declassified, in which he claims that Washington is considering deploying cruise missiles with nuclear warheads in Europe as a response to Russia’s alleged “violations” of the Intermediate-Range …
Read More »East Mediterranean Natural Gas Resources: A potential Mine Field
It is difficult to predict how the natural gas discoveries in Eastern Mediterranean will impact an already complex regional inter-relation system. Signs of mounting tension around the offshore potential resources are not new. If this tension occurs in the current early phase of exploring and extraction, it should …
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