Under the excuse of fighting the economic crisis, the Russian government is stepping up regulation that could severely restrict business growth. Ostensibly to stem the tide of rising prices, the government has initiated a dramatic cap on grocery retail chains. The bill submitted to the State Duma bans chains with …
On February 2, 2009, Iran successfully launched a satellite into orbit using a rocket with technology similar to that used in a long-range ballistic missile. It also test-fired a 1200-mile solid-fueled ballistic missile in May. Today, July 15th, Germany’s foreign intelligence service, BND, announced that Iran will be able to …
President Obama’s foreign policy thus far has been marked by an emphasis on public diplomacy. As a result, successfully engaging foreign publics has become a top priority of his administration. The President himself has taken an active role in this effort, delivering several high-profile speeches to audiences around the world. …
As President Obama and Russian President Medvedev met in Moscow July 6-8, arms control and missile defense were key issues. Both sides agreed to a preliminary framework for a treaty to replace the START Treaty, which expires in December. However, since before Obama arrived in Moscow, President Medvedev has been …
MOSCOW – Recently, the Russian Orthodox Church has been enhancing its clout in the nation’s politics. ROC officials have actively been offering comment on the executive’s various initiatives and are seeking to gain a higher profile in public policies. The ROC has been most vocal over the introduction of sexual …
Cutting through the White House spin coming out of Moscow, Congressional Strategic Posture Commission member and Missouri State University professor Keith Payne writes in today’s Wall Street Journal: Beyond the bad negotiating principle of giving up something for nothing, there will be serious downsides if the U.S. actually reduces its …
Heritage Russian and Eurasian studies research fellow Ariel Cohen blogs at The Corner: Earlier today, Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev met for their first full-fledged summit in Moscow. They announced a strategic arms-control agreement that would cut the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals down to the level 1,500-1,600 warheads …
According to Sergei Kovalev, World War II started “because of Poland’s refusal to meet Germany’s requests.” Kovalev writes: “The German demands were very modest. You could hardly call them unfounded.” Hitler, in Kovalev’s view, didn’t really want Lebensraum, but merely transport links across the Polish corridor to East Prussia and …
The past week saw an extraordinary event in the Russian economy. Prime Minister Putin and other Cabinet Ministers made a surprise visit to one of Moscow’s supermarkets and personally regulated the price rates. Putin discovered that the trade margin on an array of foodstuffs in Perekryostok supermarket is significantly higher …
If one word can sum up the Obama Administration’s foreign policy, it’s “engagement.” From Cuba to Iran and the Middle East to Russia, engagement is the White House’s magic word, an incantation that it uses to justify everything it does. Engagement’s the improved, touchy-feely way of announcing that you plan …
