To be sure, the current conflict between the US and Russia over Ukraine is a mismatch, given the disparity in power between the two sides. Russia is not, and cannot even pretend to be, a contender for world domination. Unlike the Soviet Union, it is not driven by some universal ideology, does not lead a bloc of states ruled by the same ideology…

We are gratified that our vacationing president has finally been moved to airlift supplies to thousands of Yezadi Christians, driven to a hot, bare mountaintop  by ISIS.  Let us also thank him for air support and at least small arms to the heroic Kurds, the only Iraqi, ethnic force now fighting ISIS. Of course they need the…

As the inaugural Russia-China Expo ended in Harbin last week, which was attended by more than 1,500 exhibitors, the event has created another momentum for Russia-China relations since the Russian-Chinese “gas deal of the century” was signed in May. As apparently Russia is looking east to diversify its economy amidst economic sanctions from…

 
2014 is starting to look and sound and feel an awful lot like 1964. If you find yourself sitting at home wondering how 50 years could go by with so much historical change and global shifting and yet still end up basically back at the starting point of a quasi-Cold War between the United States and Russia, then please allow me to offer one…

If the next world war is to happen, it will most likely be in Asia and feature a clash between the incumbent hegemon, the United States, and the principal challenger, China. The good news is China does not want war now and in the foreseeable future, primarily because Beijing knows too well that the odds are not on its side. But if we look ahead 20…

Calling the BRICS development bank “an insurance policy against the risk of U.S. sanctions,” experts at the prestigious Brookings Institution have joined Washington’s effort to disrupt the Russian economy and punish nations who do business with it.   Branded as the world’s most influential think tank with an endowment…

It's been a while since the rivalry between Russia and the West took such harsh forms. Actually, the object of the contestation - Ukraine - may imply that apart from China and few other countries Zbigniew Brzezinski may be a beneficiary. "Told ya", thinks probably the former security advisor to President Carter awaiting reprintings of…

Kazushige Kobayashi is a doctoral student in International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Switzerland, and a research fellow with the Europe-Asia Programme at the Balkan Security Agenda in Serbia. He holds Bachelor of Economics from Tohoku University in Japan, Master in International…

           
Minister Ivanov, agreeing with your view that Russia and the U.S. “need each other,”  we are appealing to you to speak out on behalf of a negotiated solution for the Ukraine.   We know from former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright´s memoirs…

Mme Secretary, as a longstanding Democrat like you, I am appealing to you, and to John Kerry and President Obama, to stop your veiled criticism of Israel. Working with my husband, Jiri, on his memoir, I cannot help but see parallels twixt the Nazi-engineered, 1938 Munich tragedy and the present one launched by terrorist Hamas against Israel. 

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The article explores the importance of a transition to a “green economy” for Russia, as well as the potential opportunities and constraints for its national businesses.  Many countries across the world emphasize the significance of ecological concerns and have followed their evolution from sustainable development to a green economy…

PROFESSOR ALEXANDER MOTYL´S INTERVIEW OF DR. JIRI VALENTA
 
MOTYL: Jiri, you’re one of the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable observers of Russia. How would you characterize the downing of Malaysian flight MH17 and the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine?
 
VALENTA: The ongoing war in Ukraine has involved a…