Category Archives: Musings and Polemics
NATO EXPANSION: WAS THERE A PROMISE?
The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda asked me to write an article on what was said regarding NATO expansion during the negotiations concerning German unification in 1990. I submitted the following: This is not a simple question since much was said … Continue reading
Anatol Lieven: Ukraine should be a bridge, not a battleground
Anatol Lieven has published a brilliant essay that should be read and absorbed by everyone who wishes to understand what is happening in and around Ukraine today. I quote it with thanks to the author for permission to do so. … Continue reading
Why Putin Should Thank Obama
Igor Oleynik, CEO of International Business Publications in Washington, DC, has sent me a spoof letter from Putin to Obama. Like most satire, it is over the top in some of its points, but it does illustrate the obvious fact … Continue reading
Russia’s Media Distortions Are Dangerous for Russia
I have been told that some of my comments on this blog have been taken out of context by some Russian media and presented as if I were justifying current Russian policy toward Ukraine. I do not have time to … Continue reading
Russia Should Leave Crimea in Ukraine
Pavel Koshkin, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Russia Direct, has asked me the following question: “Today Crimea’s parliament have voted for its accession to Russia as a subject of the federation and scheduled this issue for a referendum on March 16. How … Continue reading
Ukraine: Ethnicity, Language, and Attitude Toward Russia
Among the many questions in the current debate about the crisis in Ukraine, that of ethnicity, language and attitude toward Russia has drawn great heat but cast very little light on the actual situation. Simplistic arguments thrown about in the … Continue reading
Obama’s Confrontation over Ukraine Has Increased Putin’s Support at Home
I received the following comments on yesterday’s essay from a Russian-speaking American now resident in Moscow. They include some important points about Russian opinion and on the impact of the Ukrainian events on politics in Russia itself. Each of the … Continue reading
Ukraine: The Price of Internal Division
With all of the reports coming out of Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, and European capitals, the mutual accusations, the knee-jerk speculation, and—not least—the hysterical language of some observers, bordering on the apocalyptic, it is difficult to keep in mind the long-term … Continue reading
Ukraine and the United States
Implications of Victoria Nuland’s Candid Remark As a friend and admirer of both Russian and Ukrainian peoples and culture, I have been following the dramatic events in Kyiv since November with both sympathy for the Ukrainian protesters and concern that … Continue reading
Iran: Time to Give Diplomacy a New Try
The recent effort in the House of Representatives to intensify sanctions on Iran is the wrong policy at the wrong time. American Congressmen should keep their attention on negotiating a budget that the president will sign and that will support … Continue reading