So, no surprises then during the first months of Putin’s return to the presidency:
What? 100 years? An annual salary? Isn’t that a little extreme? After all, despite the president’s claims that it is in keeping with European and democratic norms, even the government’s own official human rights committee quickly declared the new law on public gatherings unconstitutional. In a written statement, the group found Law 70631-6 to breach not only the Russian Constitution’s right to free assembly but also several provisions of Russian criminal law, not to mention the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission and a host of other international frameworks.
However, none of this has prevented its signing into law today, just in time for next Tuesday’s planned opposition march to test out the new government’s resolve.
On the other hand, it might be a little unfair to criticize Putin’s latest round of repression; after all, it’s not like he has exempted himself from hardship. According to opposition activist Boris Nemtsov, Putin has not eaten or drunk anything in six years! At least that would be the only way to explain how a man with an official salary of around $115,000 managed to amass a $700,000 watch collection…
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
