Pope, Putin and Ukraine in crisis
The visit by Pope Francis to the Russian Embassy in Rome on Friday, during which he spoke to the ambassador for around an hour-and-a-half, is noteworthy for a number of reasons
US war hysteria over Ukraine won’t gel
A new level of criticality has appeared lately in Donbass with large scale mobilization by Ukrainian forces and reports of western mercenaries in the guise of military advisors. The US intentions remain unclear
Moscow confronts ‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’
Russia is not impressed that European leaders are making a beeline for Moscow and sees a strategy to wear it down in inconsequential diplomatic gyrations
China’s support is a game changer for Russia
What really matters most for Moscow would be the myriad ways in which Beijing can mitigate the effect of any harsh western sanctions
Nord Stream 2 is a double-edged geopolitical tool
Since December 21, all Russian natural gas shipments to Germany through a major transit pipeline known as the Yamal-Europe transnational gas pipeline have reversed direction
Specter of war is haunting Europe
The release of two crucial documents in Moscow implies that it is under no illusion that the US strategy is about cornering Russia and browbeat it on the global stage
Perfect storm gathers in Persian Gulf
As the US continues to mount pressure on Iran, the latter has said it “intends to produce low-enriched uranium up to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant”
Socialism Rises Like a Phoenix to Haunt America
Bernie Sander’s Nevada win is a dramatic irony. America thought it buried socialism by winning the Cold War, and now it faces the blow-back from socialism that threatens to undermine the very foundations of its political and economic system.