RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-39 :: Thursday, 25 February 2016

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#39
Thursday, 25 February 2016
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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RUSSIA

1. Russia Beyond the Headlines: What will Russia be like in 2030? Gathered at a forum in the heart of Siberia, leading Russian economists have outlined their vision for the country’s future. Discussions at the Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum focused on issues including decentralization, developing food technologies and healthcare.
2. http://readrussia.com: Mark Adomanis, Even in Russia, Some Institutions Function Much Better Than Others.
3. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: Kissinger goes where others won’t dare to in embracing multipolar world.
4. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, MOSCOW BLOG: West’s policy of supporting liberals and moderates lies in tatters.
5. Moscow Times: Russian Opposition Battles Fear, Disunity Following Nemtsov’s Death.
6. Washington Post: Ludmilla Alexeev, In Russia, human rights groups need Western aid more than ever.
7. www.rt.com: State Duma ponders tighter controls on internet news aggregators.
8. Russia Insider: David Rudge, The New York Times’ ‘Hybrid War’ Against Russia. The New York Times publishes an accusation that Russia ‘totally controls’ its media to practice ‘hybrid war’. However the background of the Russian journalist who wrote the piece shows the opposite is true.
9. New York Times: Stirrings of Labor Unrest Awaken as Russia’s Economic Chill Sets In.
10. Moscow Times: Most Russian Monotown Residents Say Economic Situation Unbearable.
11. Moscow Times: ‘Why Didn’t You Run?’ – The Inside Story on the Arrest of Russian Billionaire Dmitry Kamenshchik.
12. USRBC Daily Update: Siluanov Sees Protracted Economic Downturn In Russia.
13. Gazeta.ru: No-one will lift sanctions against Russia in near future.
14. Wall Street Journal: U.S. Warns Banks Off Russian Bonds. State, Treasury say helping sell debt would undermine sanctions on country.
15. TASS: US recommendation not to buy Russian Eurobonds won’t complicate their placement – Kremlin.
16. New York Times: Russia and Germany Cling to Fragile Business Ties.
17. https://performancegurus.net: Will Russia bail Europe out? With reserves of $386 billion, can Russia bail Europe out of its mess?
18. Reuters: Russia Says Proposed Oil Output Freeze Should Last at Least a Year.
19. Interfax: Novak considers $50 per barrel most appropriate from supply-demand standpoint.
20. The National Interest: Mitchell Yates, How Putin Made Russia’s Military Into a Modern, Lethal Fighting Force.
21. Moscow Times: Michele Berdy, How to Discuss a Syria Cease-Fire in Russian.
22. TASS: Russia-US truce plan for Syria promises no push-button solutions.
23. Interfax: Russia hands over map of Syria operative situation to U.S. representative.
24. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Gazeta.ru: Syrian ceasefire to be coordinated from Russia’s Khmeimim base.
25. Russia Insider: Alexander Mercouris, Putin’s Frenetic Day of Syrian Diplomacy. Kremlin website shows Russian leader acting decisively to consolidate Syrian truce.
26. www.rt.com: ‘No Plan B for Syrian settlement’ – Russian Foreign Ministry.
27. TASS: US officials tried to sabotage ceasefire agreement on Syria – Russian Foreign Ministry.
28. Russia Direct: Alexey Khlebnikov, 3 major obstacles facing the new Syrian ceasefire. While the Russia-U.S. ceasefire agreement on Syria has several unaddressed issues, the agreement might well be developed further and become the basis for settling the conflict.
29. Russia Direct: Nikolay Surkov, Is Syria on the path to peace or on the verge of a new war? There’s still hope that the U.S. and Russia can hammer out a workable ceasefire deal for Syria, but there’s mounting concern that there are too many stakeholders in the conflict who want to see continued violence within Syria.
30. Valdai Discussion Club: US-RUSSIAN DEAL FOR SYRIAN CEASEFIRE IS ONLY OPTION THAT LEADS TO DE-ESCALATION. (Irina Zvyagelskaya)
31. Moscow Times: Mark Galeotti, No Easy Fix for Syria.
32. Wall Street Journal: Seth Jones (RAND), How to Bog Down Putin in Syria. Moscow’s aid has helped Assad, but the history of insurgencies shows that this fight is far from over.
33. Russia Beyond the Headlines/RBC Daily: North Korea beats Russia to title of United States’ ‘greatest enemy’
34. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Russia’s enemy No. 1? Mystery campaign smears Obama. Russians have long blamed the US for many global problems. But what appears to be an organized and well-funded ad campaign raises the bar.
35. Defensenews.com: Top NATO Official: Assertive Russia Threatens European Security.
36. Moscow Times/Eurasianet.org: Casey Michel, Where Does Russia Rank for US Among Global Security Threats?
37. Awful Avalanche: Lithuanian School Teachers Strike – Russia is to blame.
38. House Armed Services Committee: Fiona Hill, Understanding and Deterring Russia: U.S. Policies and Strategies.
39. Carnegie Council for Ethic in International Affairs: Beyond a New Cold War? International Security and the Need for U.S.-Russia Cooperation. (With STEPHEN F. COHEN, JACK F. MATLOCK, JOHN PEPPER, WILLIAM VANDEN HEUVEL, DAVID C. SPEEDIE)
40. Sputnik: Snowden’s Russian Improves After Over 2 Years of Living in Russia.
41. Russia Insider: Alexei Pankin, CIA, NATO and Swedish Military Plotted Regime Change in Sweden in 1980s – Documentary (Video). ‘Heroes’ and victims of 80’s US disinformation provide clues to today’s Russian scare.
42. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, The Great Manipulator.
43. The Kremlin Stooge: Mark Chapman, On the Art of Noticing the Obvious, and Invisible People, Part II.