RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents :: JRL 2017-28 :: Tuesday, 7 February 2017

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2017-#28
Tuesday, 7 February 2017

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1. Politico.eu: German intelligence finds no evidence of Russian meddling.
2. Russia Observer: Patrick Armstrong, Putin Derangement Syndrome December 2016-January 2017.
3. www.foreignpolicy.com: Isaac Webb, Kiev Is Fueling the War in Eastern Ukraine, Too. A muted White House isn’t just emboldening the Kremlin — it’s inciting the politics of war throughout Ukraine.
4. Russia Direct: Donald Trump’s plans for Russia, French elections and the Syrian crisis. Think tank review: Top Russian experts continue to look for clues as to Donald Trump’s future foreign policy moves. In addition, they began turning their attention to the 2017 French presidential elections.
5. Moscow Times: Russians 1% ‘Happier’ in 2016.
6. Paul Goble: Despite Expectations, the Communist Party of Russia is Not Withering Away, Levada Center Sociologist Says.
7. TASS: Putin signs law decriminalizing domestic violence.
8. Der Spiegel (Germany): Russia’s City of Rebels. St. Petersburg is a place of protest against power — and the only major Russian city in which the opposition still has a voice. Why?
9. TASS: Historical Museum’s director blasts handover of St. Isaac’s Cathedral to church.
11. The Russian Reader: Pizzeria Workers on Hunger Strike in Moscow.
12. The Russian Reader: Dynamo Stadium Builders Getting the Run Around.
13. Paul Goble: Protests in Russia Increasing in Number but Not Yet Coming Together to Threaten Kremlin.
14. www.project-syndicate.org: Anders Aslund, Russia’s Bad Equilibrium.
15. New York Times: Russia Will Probably Be Excluded From World Track and Field Championships.
16. Financial Times: Trump cheerleading boosts investment in Russia. US president’s positive view is reducing the geopolitical risk surrounding the country.
17. Russia Beyond the Headlines: Moscow might send a tough new ambassador to Washington. The Kremlin wants to appoint a hardliner as Russia’s new ambassador to Washington despite a thaw in relations between the countries. (Anatoly Antonov)
18. The National Interest: Ed Varona, Why Rex Tillerson Has the Right Stuff. The new secretary of state understands the importance of credibility.
19. Reuters.com: Josh Cohen, Here’s what could sink the Trump-Putin relationship.
20. Russia Direct: Rich Burden, Will Trump and Putin be able to cooperate in the Middle East? Both Russia and the U.S. might gain if they see eye-to-eye in the Middle East. However, there are no guarantees that they will.
21. http://theduran.com: Alexander Mercouris, Iran and Donald Trump: is war coming? The conflict between the US and Iran is not rooted in any grand plan for Iranian control of the Middle East. It is the result of US concern about the system of alliances Iran has built up to prevent a repeat of the disaster of the Iran-Iraq war.
22. www.rt.com: John Wight, Is Trump trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China?
23. Moscow Times: David Marples, The Week Moscow Fell Out With Minsk. Tensions are rising between authoritarian allies Lukashenko and Putin, as Russia introduces border controls, and Belarus calls foul.
24. The Kremlin Stooge: Mark Chapman, When I Fight Reality, Reality Always Wins. (re Ukraine)
25. Fort Russ: Eduard Popov, Deciphering the Donbass Escalation: Part 1 – Media vs. Reality on the Donetsk Frontline.
26. Awful Avalanche: Ballet Review: Swan Lake Part I.
27. Washington Post: Michael McFaul, We can’t let Trump go down Putin’s path. Russia’s experience shows why Americans must act now to safeguard democratic institutions.
28. Politico.com: Joshua Zeitz, Can the Left Weaponize Russia? Anti-Soviet sentiment used to be a powerful political unifier for the right. Fifty years later, some liberals think they can replicate that model.
29. Boston Globe: Stephen Kinzer, Stop complaining about Trump – we earned him.
30. New York Times editorial: Blaming America First.
31. www.creators.com: Patrick Buchanan, Moral Supremacy and Mr. Putin.
32. Wall Street Journal editorial: Trump, Putin and Republicans. The GOP will have to provide a check on the President’s bromance.
33. Financial Times: Hacker reveals dark arts of Russian blackmail and spies. Shaltai Boltai’s last member at large tells of shadowy handlers and stolen data.
34. New York Review of Books: Amy Knight, Putin’s Intelligence Crisis.

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