RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List table of contents & links :: JRL 2019-#168 :: Monday, 21 October 2019

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Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2019-#168 :: Monday, 21 October 2019
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. Kremlin.ru: Vladimir Putin gave an interview to TASS Russian State News Agency on Russia – Africa Summit in Sochi – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/61858
2. TASS: Medvedev says foreign investors not losing interest in Russia despite sanctions.
3. Marketwatch.com: Investing in Russia: good returns, but beware of looters. Attempts to lure foreign capital are undermined by the absence of a proper rule of law.
4. Vzglyad: Protecting the Whole World Could Become Russia’s New Mission. Interview with Sergei Karaganov. – vz.ru/politics/2019/10/3/1001036.html
5. Russian and Eurasian Politics: Gordon Hahn, The Image of Peter the Great in Russian Culture, Part 1. (excerpt)
6. Russian International Affairs Council: Andrey Kortunov, The Astana Model: Methods and Ambitions of Russian Political Action – russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/analytics/the-astana-model-methods-and-ambitions-of-russian-political-action/
7. www.rt.com: Turkish op in Syria may lead to ‘reverse migration’ of terrorists to their homelands, Russian defense minister warns.
8. Financial Times: Dmitri Trenin, The Syrian crisis is now Russia’s to resolve. America’s withdrawal creates an opportunity and a challenge for Moscow.
9. Carnegie Moscow Center: Marianna Belenkaya, Should the United States Be Worried About Russian Activity in the Gulf? Considering the prospects for trade, Washington shouldn’t yet be concerned by the growth of Russian influence in the Gulf. It’s obvious, however, that Arab countries are being increasingly proactive in diversifying their connections. Moscow is simply making use of this to gain economic and political advantages.
10. Creators.com: Pat Buchanan, Is Putin the New King of the Middle East?
11. The Independent (UK): Mary Dejevsky, Is Russia really the big winner in the battle for the Middle East? While the nation may find itself in a happier position than it expected over Syria, it did not plan for the US withdrawal, nor the Kurdish-led SDF’s decision to seek government protection rather than face Turkey alone.
12. Consortumnews.com: Pepe Escobar, The Road to Damascus: How the Syria War was Wone. Following the Damascus-Kurdish alliance, Syria may become the biggest defeat for the Central Intelligence Agency since Vietnam – consortiumnews.com/2019/10/18/pepe-escobar-the-road-to-damascus-how-the-syria-war-was-won/
13. Valdai Discusion Club: Anatol Lieven, The Unholy Mess of US Middle Eastern Strategy – valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-unholy-mess-of-us-middle-eastern-strategy/
14. NYU Jordan Center: Tatsiana Kulakevich, Belarus and the U.S. Decided to Restore Ties After 11 years of “Frozen” Relations. Here’s Why.
15. www.rt.com: Recipe for disaster: BBC adds politics & history to borscht and serves it up to add more bitterness to Russia-Ukraine relations – rt.com/op-ed/471139-borscht-bbc-russia-ukraine/
16. Paul Goble: Zelensky Rapidly Losing Support among Ukrainians, Poll Shows.
17. Bloomberg: Leonid Bershidsky, Ukraine Peace Talks Get Some Help From Putin. Russia is letting Zelenskiy lay out “red lines” to convince voters he can compromise without capitulating.
18. www.mintpressnews.com: Under Fire from Ukraine and Misperceived by the West, The People of the DPR Share Their Stories. Eva Bartlett traveled to the besieged Donetsk People’s Republic to see firsthand how residents are faring amidst a western-backed Ukrainian incursion. (excerpt)
19. Moscow Times: Russians Feel More Positive Toward Ukraine Since Zelenskiy’s Election, Poll Says.
20. The American Conservative: Doug Bandow, Time to Extricate From Ukraine. Kiev has become a drag on Trump, but if we don’t watch out, it could turn into a geopolitical threat to everyone.
21. Infobrics.org: Padraig McGrath, Ukrainian president juggles an impossible situation.
22. Intellinews.com: Ben Aris, Zelenskiy’s approval ratings fall as his government gets bogged down in multiple crises
23. The Unz Review: The Saker, Zelenskii in Free Fall – unz.com/tsaker/zelenskii-in-free-fall/
24. RFE/RL: The Politics Of Memory: A Struggle For An Institute And What It Means For Ukrainian Identity.
25. Valdai Discussion Club: Andrei Tsygankov, The Funnel of Ukrainegate.
26. Christian Science Monitor: Fred Weir, Ukraine: Why does it keep coming up in the Trump White House? Ukraine keeps coming up in White House-related controversy. But it is not the first time that Americans seeking fortune or promoting positive change have become entangled in complex post-Soviet realities.
27. Politico.com: Tatiana Stanovaya, No, Putin Doesn’t Like Impeachment. There’s one thing the Kremlin wants even more than sowing chaos in the United States: Keeping Trump in the White House.
28. The Unz Review: C.J. Hopkins, The Putin-Nazis Are Coming (Again)! – unz.com/chopkins/the-putin-nazis-are-coming-again/
29. Sic Semper Tyrannis: Larry Johnson, FBI/DOJ Likely to Throw the CIA and Clapper Under the Bus. – turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2019/10/fbidoj-going-to-throw-the-cia-and-clapper-under-the-bus-by-larry-c-johnson.html#more
30. The National Interest: Curt Mills, What Fiona Hill Tells Us About Trump. Trump’s cavalier approach to hiring advisors has boomeranged on him.

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