Ukraine: Peace — Not So Soon By Gwynne Dyer — April 6, 2023 MONDAY’S stunt, where Yevgeny Prigozhin held a Russian flag in his hands and declared that his ‘Wagner’ mercenary soldiers have finally conquered the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, probably marks the end of Russian winter offensive. It was just a charade, of course. … Continue reading Gwynne Dyer On Ukraine Peace Prospects
[NOTE: I’m unable to verify this story. But it comes from Associated Press, a long-established and generally top-quality news organization. Here it sets out a real-life Russian intelligence thriller, worthy of LeCarré or the other spy-novel masters, and the last chapter is not written yet . . .] AP: ‘He’s a war criminal’: Elite Putin … Continue reading Defector Escapes from the Elite Russian Unit that Guards Putin
[NOTE: These two short columns offer an admirable review of two key moments in the impact of Putin’s Ukraine invasion on my own thinking. When I imagined these countries as actual places (which, I admit, wasn’t often), my speculation was that they held to a “plague-on-both-your-houses” stance vis-a-vis the USSR/Russia on one side, and the West, … Continue reading Sweden, Finland, NATO, Neutrals & Nukes: A Concise Analysis
GOOD NEWS Washington Post There were few Black historic landmarks. Two brothers changed that. By Nick Tabor — February 11, 2023 In 1970, there were only two National Historic Landmarks focused exclusively on Black history. By 1976, that number had risen beyond 70. Behind this change was a large coalition of Black scholars, policymakers and … Continue reading Good News/Other News/Bad News
Ukraine: Will Western tanks bring victory? Gwynne Dyer — Jan 27 2023 Gwynne Dyer is a UK-based Canadian journalist and historian who writes about international affairs. OPINION: On Tuesday they reset the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight. How did they know that Germany would agree to give Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine on Wednesday?