RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2018-218 :: Wednesday, 19 December 2018
To inquire about a subscription to the full Johnson’s Russia List e-mail newsletter, e-mail David Johnson at davidjohnson@starpower.net
Support the JRL: russialist.org/funding.php
Donate Online: click here for direct link at GWU
[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter]
Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2018-#218 :: Wednesday, 19 December 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.
JRL Home: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi
Support for JRL is provided in part by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York to the George Washington University and by voluntary contributions from readers.
1. PONARS Eurasia: Maria Lipman and Maria Volkenstein, Grassroots Modernization. The rise of diversity and individualism in Russian society is undisputed. However, these new trends are observed, first and foremost, in the private sphere, in consumption, and in everyday practices, while the political realm remains “frozen.”
2. TASS: Putin to field questions on economy, world events at annual news conference.
3. Vesti.ru: Putin Prepares For Intense Presser – Journalists From Around the World Get Direct Access to President. [vesti.ru/doc.html?id=3096665&cid=4441]
5. Interfax: Russian state seeks ‘dialogue’ with rappers – Putin aide.
6. RFE/RL: Soviet Sentimentality: Russians’ Regret At U.S.S.R.’s Collapse Hits 14-Year High.
7. Intellinews.com: Average bribe in Russia for 2018 is $9,000.
8. Moscow Times: Numbers Backing ‘Russia’s Agricultural Boom’ Were Inflated, Report Says.
9. TASS: Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Are sanctions weakening Russia’s economy?
10. Russia Beyond: How a Siberian academic startup is rethinking human nature.
[rbth.com/education/329703–siberian-academic-startup-human-nature]
11. TASS: INF treaty cannot be suspended, it can only be violated, says senior Russian diplomat.
12. www.rt.com: US confirms pullout from INF treaty, Moscow will respond if missiles placed in Europe – deputy FM. [rt.com/news/446804-us-inf-missiles-europe/]
13. Moscow Times: Jon Huntsman, Trust Is Key to Repairing Ties With Russia. Russia should show it can be a responsible member of the international community.
14. Rossiyskaya Gazeta: Pundit says Russia must ‘confirm de facto’ jurisdisction over Crimea. (Lukyanov)
15. http://thesaker.is: Pepe Escobar, Russia, Ukraine and the Minsk agreement fiction.[thesaker.is/russia-ukraine-and-the-minsk-agreement-fiction-exclusive/]
16. http://theduran.com: Understanding the Holodomor and why Russia says nothing. A descendant of Holodomor victims takes the rest of us to school as to whether or not Russia needs to shoulder the blame. [theduran.com/understanding-the-holodomor-and-why-russia-says-nothing/]
17. www.rt.com: Do it CIA style: What you need to know about latest leak on UK-funded psyop. [rt.com/news/446809-integrity-initiative-third-leak-uk/]
18. www.zerohedge.com: Tyler Durden, Why Are Western Elites Succumbing To Russia Conspiracy Theories?
19. Moon of Alabama: Senate Reports On ‘Russian Influence Campaign’ Fail To Discuss Its Only Known Motive. [moonofalabama.org/2018/12/senate-reports-on-russian-influence-campaign-fail-to-discuss-its-only-known-motive.html#more]
20. https://caitlinjohnstone.com: Caitlin Johnstone, Mass Media’s Russia Hysteria Is Openly Acknowledging The Power Of Propaganda. (excerpt)
21. Financial Times (UK) editorial: America’s exposure to Russian information warfare. US democracy remains inexcusably vulnerable to hijack. (excerpt)
22. Washington Post: David Ignatius, How Russia used the Internet to perfect its dark arts. The West’s open, democratic culture makes it an easy online target.
23. Washington Post: Marc Thiessen, The Mueller probe could turn out to be a disaster – for the Democrats. Impeaching Trump for something unrelated to Russia would backfire big-time.
24. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Yes, Russia Abused Facebook. But Did It Work?. New studies of Russia’s influence operation show lots of Americans noticed it, just not how it affected them.
25. Washington Examiner: Eddie Scarry, Russia’s memes had no quantifiable effect on our elections, but we have to keep hearing about it anyway.
26. The Week: Matthew Walther, The Mueller delusion.
27. The American Conservative: Peter Van Buren, Mueller’s Investigation is Missing One Thing: A Crime. If he had something on Trump, we would have been watching impeachment hearings by now.
28. Wall Street Journal: Holman Jenkins, Interpreting the Trump Meteor. His survival fight may at least buy time for a few important lessons to sink in.
29. The New Yorker: Masha Gessen, Why the Russian Influence Campaign Remains So Hard to Understand.
30. Russian Foreign Ministry: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, Moscow, December 17, 2018. (transcript concluded)
