Gorbachev, Putin, and a collapsing empire Gwynne Dyer — Sept. 7, 2022 This is not another pipe-sucking reassessment of Mikhail Gorbachev’s failed attempt to democratize the Soviet Union 30 years ago. He wasn’t actually trying to do that anyway; he was attempting to save the Soviet Union and Communism by civilizing and softening the harsh … Continue reading Gwynne Dyer on Russia’s Reluctant Decolonization
Too busy . . . Someone here fits that description . . . Heading for Kyiv . . . then where? Will all our most extravagant hopes end this way? Ghosts: Gorby & Reagan . . . What if Mikhail had borrowed Ronnie’s astrologer .. .?? In post-Gorbachev Russia, this now passes for freedom of … Continue reading Gorbachev: An Elegy in Images
BY VANESSA GERA — August 31, 2022 WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the Latvian capital of Riga, an obelisk that soared high above a park to commemorate the Soviet Army’s capture of that nation in 1944 was toppled last week. It crashed into a pond to the cheers of those watching. Days earlier in … Continue reading More War Statues Coming Down— Different Wars, Different Targets
The Guardian — Analysis Dan Sabbagh, defence & security editor Five predictions for the next six months in the war in Ukraine Six months to the day since the start of the Russian invasion, here is what to expect for the next six months Wed 24 Aug 2022 1. The war will probably run … Continue reading Ukraine War: Two Estimates of the Next Six Months
The Guardian — Mon 22 Aug 2022 After six months of bloody and terrible war, what exactly does Putin want from Ukraine? Philip Short Russia is trying to demonstrate that Nato is powerless to stop it. Whether it succeeds depends on the west’s political will as energy prices soar? Nearly six months after Russia’s invasion … Continue reading One More Expert Analysis: What Putin “Really” Wants from the Ukraine Invasion