RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-133 :: Friday, 20 July 2018

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#133
Friday, 20 July 2018

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. Russia Beyond: James Bond to face a Russian villain for the first time in 20 years. [rbth.com/arts/328796-james-bond-russian-villain]
2. Russian International Affairs Council: Ivan Timofeev, The Butina Case: The Americans Send a Signal. [russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/the-butina-case-the-americans-send-a-signal/]
3. www.rt.com: Russian Foreign Ministry expresses support for citizen jailed in US, and suddenly ‘it’s war’ [rt.com/news/433777-russian-mfa-butina-twitter-war/]
4. Wall Street Journal: Russia Open to Second Trump-Putin Summit. Officials in Moscow remain surprised by firestorm over recent meeting.
5. TASS: Russia, US holding closed-door consultations on New START, INF treaties – ambassador.
6. Kremlin.ru: Meeting of ambassadors and permanent representatives of Russia.
7. Bloomberg: Putin Tells Diplomats He Made Trump a New Offer on Ukraine at Their Summit.
8. George Beebe: Correction re article in The National Interest (JRL #132 item 9)
9. The National Interest: George Beebe, The Helsinki Summit: A Good Idea Turns Bad. Mitigating the dangers of a U.S.-Russian escalatory spiral will be difficult.
10. Politico.eu: Dmitri Trenin, Fears of World War III are overblown. Helsinki was a PR disaster. But Russia is no more likely to attack its neighbors than it was.
11. Valdai Discussion Club: Robert Legvold, AFTER HELSINKI: MOVING FORWARD IN AN OVERWHELMING TOXIC ATMOSPHERE.
12. The National Interest: Paul Pillar, The Multiple Facets of the Russia Problem. A prudent, well-designed, realist policy toward Russia would advance U.S. interests by carefully taking into account where those interests conflict with, and where they parallel, Russian interests, and would judiciously use carrots and sticks designed to induce Russian cooperation.
13. Fortune: Geoffrey Roberts, Trump Didn’t Betray America. He Wants to Restore the Old U.S.-Russia Alliance.
14. The Real News Network: The Russia “National Security Crisis” is a U.S. Creation. President Trump’s warm words for Vladimir Putin and his failure to endorse U.S. intelligence community claims about alleged Russian meddling have been called “treasonous” and the cause of a “national security crisis.” There is a crisis, says Prof. Stephen F. Cohen, but one of our own making. [therealnews.com/stories/the-russia-national-security-crisis-is-a-u-s-creation]
15. The Unz Review: Pat Buchanan, Trump Stands His Ground on Putin.
16. Paul Goble: Can Putin or Anyone Else Govern Russia Where No One Revolts but Everyone Hates the Regime? Sociologists Ask.
17. CNBC.com: Russia’s Achilles heel: Putin still falling short on master plan for aging oil economy.
18. http://theduran.com: Paul Goncharoff, Russia ranks HIGHER than Switzerland in these areas of doing business. Some curious things happened with several businesspeople who attended World Cup events in Russia. [theduran.com/russia-ranks-higher-in-switzerland-in-these-areas-of-doing-business/]
19. www.rt.com: Russia set to wean economy off US dollar as Washington ratchets up sanctions.
20. www.strategic-culture.org: Arkady Savitsky, Russia: Sovereign and Well-Protected from Financial Storms.
21. Meduza: What’s Russia’s average pension? How much money will the government save by raising the retirement age? The surprising numbers behind Russian pension reform.
22. Bear Market Brief: Aaron Schwartzbaum, Pension reform.
23. Russia Beyond: ‘My parents would disown me’: The life of transgender people in Russia. [Text with photos: rbth.com/lifestyle/328798-my-parents-disown-me]
24. www.rt.com: Over half of Russian women open to romance with foreigners, poll finds
25. Moscow Times: On Centenary, Russian State and Orthodox Church at Odds Over Romanovs. Russians are still processing the executions of Tsar Nicholas II and his family a century ago.
26. Russia Observer: Patrick Armstrong, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 19 JULY 2018. [Text with links: patrickarmstrong.ca/2018/07/19/russian-federation-sitrep-19-july-2018/]
27. Washington Post: Joe Karaganis and Balazs Bodo, Russia is building a new Napster – but for academic research.
28. Wall Street Journal: Michael Anton, Why Trump’s Detractors Cry ‘Treason.’ He won’t go along with their efforts to deny the legitimacy of his election. Can you blame him?
29. Wall Street Journal: Kimberley Strassel, Brennan and the 2016 Spy Scandal. Obama’s CIA director acknowledges egging on the FBI’s probe of Trump and Russia.
30. The American Conservative: Peter van Buren, John Brennan, Melting Down and Covering Up. He accuses Trump of treason. But what’s his bluster really about?
31. Washington Post: Fareed Zakaria, Russia might have been lost from the start.
32. The Real News Network: Shock Without the Therapy: A New Russia is Born in Chaos and Plunder – RAI with A. Buzgalin (6/12). On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alexander Buzgalin says the collapse of the Soviet Union was followed by the rise of billionaire oligarchs as the “free market” led to the impoverishment of the people – with host Paul Jay. [therealnews.com/stories/shock-without-the-therapy-a-new-russia-is-born-in-chaos-and-plunder-rai-with-a-buzgalin-6-12]
33. The Real News Network: Putin is Anointed King, but Big Capital has the Real Power – RAI with A. Buzgalin (7/12): On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin says after the chaotic ’90’s, the Russian oligarchs needed a stronger central state to defend their class interests, but Putin’s individual power should not be exaggerated – with host Paul Jay. [therealnews.com/stories/putin-is-anointed-king-but-big-capital-has-the-real-power-rai-with-a-buzgalin-7-12]
34. The New Kremlin Stooge: Mark Chapman, When Your Story Implodes, Call Me – I’m an American Chemical Weapons Expert! (re Skripal case) [Text with links: thenewkremlinstooge.wordpress.com/2018/07/19/when-your-story-implodes-call-me-im-an-american-weapons-expert/#more-169]
35. Financial Times: Edward Luce, Henry Kissinger: ‘We are in a very, very grave period.’ The grand consigliere of American diplomacy talks about Putin, the new world order – and the meaning of Trump.

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