RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2016-134 :: Monday, 18 July 2016

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2016-#134
Monday, 18 July 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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1. www.rt.com: Russian authorities systematically covered up doping abuse at 2014 Olympics – WADA report.
2. Irrussianality; Paul Robinson. A LETTER TO BORIS. (Johnson, re Russia)
3. Counterpunch.org: Halyna Mokrushyna, A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine.
4. www.opendemocracy.net: Vasily Gatov, Russia, America, it’s time to talk face-to-face. During the late 1980s, superpower leaders demagnitised international confrontation by speaking directly to the other side. Why shouldn’t we do this again?
6. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Poll: Over 35% of Russians believe voting in upcoming elections is useless. Experts explain that many voters do not believe that their votes will be counted honestly, do not see any differences between the parties and do not consider the parliament an influential body.
7. Kremlin.ru: Meeting with leaders of parliamentary parties.
8. The Unz Review: Anatoly Karlin, 4God&Country. (“The only two major world political factions that ever seem to be willing to shed their own blood for their beliefs are nationalists and Islamists.”
9. Intellinews.com: Russia’s industrial output continues slow but confident recovery in June.
10. Intellinews.com: Sberbank consumer confidence tracker shows mood improving across Russia.
11. Russia Direct: Dmitry Dokuchaev, What’s happening to the inflation rate in Russia? After a period of soaring inflation, it now appears that the Russian monetary authorities have stabilized the growth in prices to a manageable level. By the end of the year, the inflation rate could be as low as 6 percent.
12. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Kommersant: Magical consciousness: How superstitions impede Russia’s economic progress. According to statistics, more and more Russians believe in UFOs, sorcery and clairvoyance. Such trends result in stagnation both in society and in the economy, experts believe.
13. Bloomberg: Oil Must Go to $40 and Stay There to Buy Russia Some Reforms.
14. www.rt.com: Syria-like crises await in Central Asia & Caucasus – Russian defense minister.
15. Wall Street Journal: U.S., Russia Agree on Steps Designed to End War in Syria, but Details Sketchy. Washington initially offered military coordination, but terms of agreement not divulged after two days of meetings in Moscow.
16. www.rt.com: Moscow-Beijing ties to broaden and deepen Lavrov promises.
17. New York Times: An Unfinished Bridge, and Partnership, Between Russia and China.
18. Gazeta.ru: Chances of extending Russia-US strategic arms treaty viewed.
19. The Real News Network: US-NATO Border Confrontation with Russia Risks Nuclear War and Loss of European Partners. Michael Hudson says that the US-led confrontational approach of NATO with Russia is driving European countries to consider disbanding or leaving the military alliance due to increased security risks.
20. RFE/RL: Brian Whitmore, The Daily Vertical: Nothing To Fear. (re lying Lavrov)
21. www.rt.com: Bryan MacDonald, Why has NATO chosen Russia as its enemy instead of ISIS?
22. http://thesaker.is: The Saker, Guy Mettan’s book on russophobia is a “must read” for any person interested in Russia.
23. TASS: Kremlin alarmed over turbulence at Russia’s borders.
24. Russia Beyond the Headlines: How will the attempted coup in Turkey affect Moscow-Ankara relations? Experts are divided on the significance of the failure to overthrow the Turkish government by members of the country’s armed forces for Russia-Turkey relations.
25. www.opendemocracy.net: Maxim Edwards and Thomas Rowley, In Ukraine, not only heroes deserve justice. A Ukrainian blogger sentenced for his scandalous views on the conflict in the Donbas has just been released. Whatever his shortcomings, Ruslan Kotsaba deserved our solidarity.
26. Awful Avalanche: Ukrainian Government Publishes Blacklist of Banned Books.
27. Consortiumnews.com: Robert Parry, MH-17: Two Years of Anti-Russian Propaganda.
28. RFE/RL: Russian ‘Gun-For-Hire’ Lurks In Shadows Of Washington’s Lobbying World.
29. Politkom.ru: Russian political influence ratings study published. (long)