Today brought the shocking and completely unexpected news that Vladimir Putin has agreed to become the Prime Minister of Russia when his term ends next year. That isn't the only news to come out of Russia today- though I know the reader may want to take a few seconds to recover from that twist- and much of the news involves topics on this blog. Russia today also helped solidify its ties with Iran, completing its first fuel delivery to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. The Times reports that it is “unclear when the controversial station would begin operating.” But Iran News Daily previously reported “According to Russian forecasts, the first reactor at the Bushehr plant could be started up in 2008 and nuclear fuel would have to be shipped to Bushehr six months ahead of time.” So, with that timetable, Bushehr can be online by June.
The Times also reports that Putin has helped open a pipeline for Russian Muslims to make it to Mecca for the hajj- a huge turnaround from the Soviet days, when only 18 pilgrims a year were granted visas. As Russia tries to expand its influence, it would like to be a broker in the Middle East, establishing ties with both Iran and Saudi Arabia. Though the war in Chechnya has left Putin considered an enemy, he has recently made a lot of moves to restore relations with Muslims in Russia. Here is a transcript of a November meeting between Putin and Muslim leaders in Russia. Most of it is boilerplate speeches, but the point is Putin is at least making gestures. He thanks them for “your important contribution to the moral education of our citizens, for your actions in the fight against all forms of extreme currents of thought, and for what you do in the fight against extremism. This certainly strengthens the unity of Russian society.” There are of course internal Russian reasons for reaching out to its restive Muslim population, but it would also be difficult to expand relations with powerful countries in the Middle East if the Muslims in his control were all revolting.
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 […]
