RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2020-#15 :: Wednesday, 22 January 2020

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2020-#15 :: Wednesday, 23 January 2020
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. TASS: Russia needs strong presidential power, parliamentary republic is inadvisable – Putin.
2. Sputnik: Multi-Faith Russia Needs Strong Presidential Power – Putin.
3. https://gilbertdoctorow.com: Gilbert Doctorow, Making sense of Russia’s new cabinet.
Making sense of Russia’s new cabinet
4. www.rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, New Russian government: Lavrov & Shoigu remain, but PM Mishustin appoints many fresh faces.
https://www.rt.com/russia/478843-new-mishustin-government-fresh-faces/
5. TASS: Media: Half of cabinet fails to make the grade in major government reshuffle.
6. Reuters: Russia Gets New Government in What Putin Calls ‘Major Renewal’
7. The National Interest: Where is Russia Headed? On “Amanpour and Co.,” a discussion with Dimitri K. Simes and Evelyn Farkas about the future of American relations with Russia.
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/where-russia-headed-115831
8. Facebook: Fred Weir, Balanced and Thoughtful Piece.
9. Wall Street Journal: Putin Appoints New Cabinet, but Keeps Key Ministers. Prior government resigned after Russian president proposed sweeping constitutional changes that could allow him to retain power after term ends.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/putin-appoints-new-cabinet-but-keeps-key-ministers-11579632383?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2
10. New York Times: Big Changes? Or Maybe Not. Putin’s Plans Keep Russia Guessing. Is he setting the stage to lead Russia for years to come? Is he planning to step down? The confusion may be part of President Vladimir Putin’s strategy.

11. BBC Monitoring: Russian officials defend fast-tracking of constitutional changes.
12. RFE/RL: The Kremlin Releases Constitutional Amendments: But What Do They Mean For Russia, And Putin’s Future?
13. www.opendemocracy.net: Ilya Matveev, The game’s afoot: scenarios of power transition in Russia. The transition in Russia has begun. What will it look like?
14. Stalker Zone: Putin Has Deprived the Children of the Elite of Their Political Future.
15. Paul Goble: Russia has ‘No Hope’ of Reversing Its Demographic Decline, Vishnevsky Says.
16. TASS: PM requests drafting amendments to budget to implement Putin’s address.
17. Moscow Times: Russia’s PM Orders New Spending Plan to Boost Living Standards. Moscow prepares to ramp up state spending in a push to deliver growth and support hard-pressed Russians.
18. www.rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, IMF warns of new ‘Great Depression’, Russia ahead of the curve due to increased cash & gold reserves.
19. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Putin’s Biggest Surprise: Seeking a Strong Successor His constitutional proposals make it clear Russia will still have a near-dictatorial presidency after he gives it up.
20. Bloomberg: Russia Awaits $34 Billion Windfall as Putin Starts Spending Push.
21. Intellinews.com: Russia’s gross international reserves reach $557.5bn, surpass pre-crisis peak.
22. TASS: ‘Not chasing IBM and Google’: Russian scientists work on independent quantum computer.
23. www.rt.com: US sanctions helped Russia to boost oil exports in 2019.
24. Global Times (China): China-Russia ties to deepen despite US wedge.
25. Al-Monitor: Maxim Suchkov, Russia’s ‘leading from behind’ strategy on Libya. Russia’s Libya policy is less about Libya and more about Europe, hence Moscow’s preference to let the Europeans take the public lead on the conflict.
26. The National Interest: Dimitri Alexander Simes, The Rift Between Turkey and America Has Paved the Way for Russia’s Rebound. Once bitter rivals, Russia and Turkey have seen their relationship rebound over the past few years.
27. Valdai Discussion Club: Igor Istominj, Stepping Up NATO’s Presence in the Black Sea Region: Causes and Consequences.
28. Kennan Institute: S. Frederick Starr, Kennan Cable No. 46: Greater Eurasia: Russia’s Asian Fantasy. (excerpt)
29. Russian International Affairs Council: Gleb Ivashentsov, Russia-India Relations: Successes and Prospects.
30. The Unz Review: Israel Shamir, The Battle for Auschwitz.
31. www.rt.com: ‘Russian spies’ in Davos: A scandal or clickbait-chasing nothingburger?
32. New York Times: How Amazon, Geico and Walmart Fund Propaganda. Algorithms are sending ads by American brands onto Russian disinformation sites. (Excerpt)
33. CNBC.com: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard sues Hillary Clinton for alleged ‘Russian asset’ smear in 2020 Democratic presidential contest, claiming $50 million in damages.
34. https://johnsolomonreports.com: John Solomon, Joe Biden’s ‘conspiracy theory’ memo to U.S. media doesn’t match the facts.

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