RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#190 :: Thursday 1 October 2015

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#190
Thursday – 1 October 2015

A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs
The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University.
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1. www.rt.com: Putin orders to erect monument to victims of political repressions in Moscow.
2. Kremlin.ru: Meeting of Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.
3. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russia’s oldest human rights activist is awarded Vaclav Havel Prize. The head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, 88, has been awarded the international Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize.
4. Business New Europe: Yuval Weber, Oil money, conflict and the age of diminished expectations in Russia.
5. Russia Inside: IMF Says Russia’s Economy Looks Good. Despite many forecasts of doom and gloom the Russian economy is doing much better than expected.
6. Valdai Discussion Club/RG.ru: Fyodor Lukyanov, FIGHTING EVIL SEPARATELY.
7. http://gordonhahn.com: Gordon Hahn, Explaining Putin’s Counter-Jihadi Coalition Proposal: Russian Interests, Not a ‘New Cold War’
8. Kremlin.ru: Meeting with Government members. Vladimir Putin met with Government members to discuss measures to overcome economic recession in 2016. The situation in Syria and the fight against international terrorism were discussed separately.
9. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Kremlin launches airstrikes in Syria, despite Russian public’s reluctance.
10. Defensenews.com: US, Russia To Deconflict in Syria.
11. Moscow Times: Putin’s Use of Force In Syria Unlikely to Go Beyond Airstrikes.
12. Vedomosti: Russian analysts assess, differ on thrust of Putin’s UNGA address.
13. www.rt.com: Putin: Claims Russian jets killed civilians in Syria emerged before airstrikes started.
14. http://gordonhahn.com: Gordon Hahn, Russian Military Intervention in Syria.
15. Russia Beyond the Headlines: 4 reasons why Putin and Obama can’t agree on Syria. The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly has left the main disputed issues raised by the sides unresolved. RBTH presents a list of the principal points that impede the two sides from cooperating in the fight against ISIS.
16. The Guardian (UK): Simon Jenkins, Why the west should listen to Putin on Syria. As everyone knows, the only way to stop the slaughter in Syria is for the US and its allies to work with President Assad – and to stop worrying about what looks good.
17. The Unz Review: The Saker, Finally some clarity about the Russian plans about Syria.
18. The National Interest: Nikolas Gvosdev, Moscow’s War in the Air: Russia Sends a Message in Syria. For better or worse there is no questioning that right now, the Kremlin has taken control of the narrative when it comes to Syria.
19. Russia Direct: Alexey Fenenko, Why Russia faces an uphill battle in forming an anti-ISIS coalition. With Russia having started its first airstrikes against ISIS in Syria, creating a global anti-ISIS coalition of the type envisioned by Russia is out of the question, for the simple reason that each country perceives the threat differently.
20. Russia Insider: Alexander Mercouris, The Politics Behind Russia’s Air Campaign. Russia creates a coalition to fight militant jihadism and the Islamic State. The US however remains obsessed with overthrowing Assad, and will do everything it can to be obstructive.
21. PBS Newshour: Are Russia’s military priorities in Syria cause for concern? (with Steven Simon and Andrew Weiss)
22. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, The Power of False Narrative.
23. Huffingtonpost.com: Stop Being Scared, You Live In The Safest Time In Human History. (interview with Paul Robinson)
24. Consortiumnews.com: Jonathan Marshall, More Anti-Russian Bias at the NYT.
25. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine, Russia-Backed Rebels Agree on Weapons Pullback. Deal to withdraw small arms from front line is part of broader peace deal.
26. Interfax: Putin hopeful crisis in southeastern Ukraine will be resolved, yet still long way to go.
27. TASS: Russians don’t want Donetsk, Luhansk to be part of Russia – poll.
28. Russia Direct: Ivan Tsvetkov, Obama vs. Putin: Mutual finger-pointing deepens ideological clash. The recent speeches made by Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama at the 70th UN General Assembly clearly show that Russian and American leaders are once again locked in a global ideological confrontation of the type once witnessed during the Cold War.
29. The Nation: James Carden, Obama and Putin Meet in New York, Agree on Nothing. The US establishment doesn’t understand that Russia’s foray into Syria is more than an imperial gamble.
30. Brookings: Andrej Krickovic and Yuval Weber, Why a new Cold War with Russia is inevitable.
31. http://gordonhahn.com: Gordon Hahn, Is Putin a Great Strategist?
32. Politico.com: Steven Lee Myers, The Real Story Behind Putin’s Syria Strikes. Inside the Kremlin rivalry that radicalized Russia’s strongman.

 

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