Mideast Peace Rests With Arabs, Not U.S., Europe Jan 6, 2009
Sadat realized that, on the best estimate of Israels power and the worst estimate of its intentions, Israel was far less a danger to Egypt than the Soviet Union was. He therefore decided on his epoch-making peace initiative. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
Russia's next flash point Jan 6, 2009
Autocratic Russia is bent on exploiting weak neighbors and reversing perceived humiliations since the breakup of the Soviet Union. The tragic war with Georgia last August showed that Russia is ready to use military power. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Marriage of convenience Jan 6, 2009
Although the two countries shared a common enemy with the former Soviet Union back in 1979, and worked effectively together to counter Soviet expansionism, in reality the relationship was limited to Asia, as China had little or no presence in other regions of the world. Not so today, as Beijing is a global player on all continents. (International Herald Tribune -- Ed/Op)
Conn. family's gift to synagogue has special meaning Jan 5, 2009
- When Greenwich resident Leon Gandelman grew up in Lvov in the Soviet Union in the 1940s and '50s, he was not allowed to practice his religion in public. His parents gave him as traditional a Jewish upbringing as they could, but it was not until after 1991 that he could openly worship, said his daughter Anya Gandelman. (Boston Globe)
Bush: Only time will tell about his legacy Jan 5, 2009
The elder Bush saw the presidency as a stewardship, bemoaning his lack of "the vision thing." When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, George H.W. Bush was so reluctant to intervene that British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher admonished him, "Don't go wobbly on me, George." He oversaw the peaceful collapse of the Soviet Union, and refused in modesty even to issue a statement when the Berlin Wall fell. His son sought "game-changers," claimed missions accomplished prematurely, boasted and... (San Francisco Chronicle)
* Gazprom urges Ukraine to talk Jan 5, 2009
Several EU states were already reporting shortfalls of up to 10 percent in Russian gas being piped through Ukraine, as the effects of the standoff between Moscow and Kiev began to be felt beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union. As the war of words intensified after Moscow turned off the tap on Thursday, Russia accused Ukraine of stealing gas intended for Europe, while Ukraine alleged that Russia was under-supplying the EU.. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Jacob makes his mark with Sweden Jan 5, 2009
" Sweden's lucky charm He's a walking, talking lucky charm in a grey Swedish Ice Hockey Association blazer. In addition to being Sweden's assistant coach, Peter Sundstrom, who played parts of six NHL seasons with the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils, provides the link to Sweden's first and only world junior hockey championship triumph in 1981. In that tournament, a Swedish team featuring Sundstrom and his twin brother Patrik, who later played for the Vancouver Canucks,... (Globe and Mail -- Sports)
Russia toughens stance in gas dispute with Ukraine Jan 5, 2009
At issue in the dispute, which threatens to cause heating fuel shortages in Europe at the time when it is most needed, is a system of gas trunk pipelines that is a legacy of the Soviet Union. As Russia has again tried to force higher rates on Ukraine by halting supplies, exports to the rest of the Continent are invariably put at risk. (International Herald Tribune)
Resurgence of Islam in Tajikistan celebrated by many Jan 5, 2009
Tajikistan, a Muslim country north of Afghanistan, used to be part of the Soviet Union. Religion was banned, and any public expression of it, like prayer or making the hajj, was harshly punished. (International Herald Tribune)
Some use foreign citizenship to get out Jan 5, 2009
Many of the women crossing were citizens of the former Soviet Union who met their Palestinian husbands while studying in former Soviet states. Now they are happy to go back. (Globe and Mail)
Ukraine to talk gas? Jan 5, 2009
Several EU states were already reporting shortfalls of up to 10 percent in Russian gas being piped through Ukraine, as the effects of the standoff between Moscow and Kiev began to be felt beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union. Accusations of theft. (iAfrica.com)
Obama's 'Rubin Constellation' Jan 5, 2009
It s not unlike what happened after the collapse of the failed economy in the Soviet Union. The corrupt and inept communist bosses who were tossed out of power ended up back on top by stealing their way into ownership positions in the economy s newly privatized companies. (Human Events Online)
News Analysis: History will repeat in Afghanistan? Jan 5, 2009
KABUL, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The end of the former Soviet Union occupation of Afghanistan in 1989 led to lingering factional fighting and eventually to the U.S.-led invasion in the one of the world poorest countries on October 7, 2001 ... It was December 1979 that over 100,000 former Soviet Union troops invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of defending socialism and rooting out militants while the situation today is little different than 30 years ago ... Like the invading forces of the former... (Xinhuanet, China)
Shenzhou-7's monitor satellite finishes mission Jan 5, 2009
China successfully launched the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft on Sept.25 last year, making it the third country in the world to conduct extravehicular activity (EVA) in space following the former Soviet Union and the United States. Editor: Yan. (Xinhuanet, China)
Obama Faces Long Road Jan 5, 2009
The EU (that Peter Hitchens once called the next Soviet Union) continues to solidify their economic clout, primarily by undermining U.S. strengths. Such is a long and very incomplete list of what President Obama will find in his morning briefing folder when he plops down in the oval office. (Newsmax)
Forecast: Movies in 2009 Jan 4, 2009
The United States is on the brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, symbolized by a doomsday clock permanently set at five minutes to midnight. The cast, headed by Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson and Carla Gugino, is definitely B list, but with stupendous special effects to look at, who cares. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Economics focus: Diagnosing depression Jan 4, 2009
Since the second world war, only one developed economy has suffered a drop in GDP of more than 10%: Finland s contracted by 11% during the three years to 1993, mainly thanks to the collapse of the Soviet Union, then its biggest trading partner ... The economic slumps that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and those during the Asian crisis were not really depressions, argues Mr Eslake, because inflation increased sharply. (The Economist)
Canadians lucky to escape semis Jan 4, 2009
The scores of the critical matches in the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. The scores of the amazing Team Canada comeback in the 1987 Canada Cup. (Globe and Mail -- Sports)
Gas dispute has effects past Russia and Ukraine Jan 4, 2009
At issue in the dispute, which threatens to cause heating fuel shortages in Europe at the time it is most needed, is a system of gas trunk pipelines that is a legacy of the Soviet Union. The pipelines pass through Ukraine, serving that country and sending natural gas on toward customers in Western Europe. (International Herald Tribune)
Papua New Guinea and China's New Empire Jan 4, 2009
" Today, less than three years later, a series of small Chinatowns has emerged in the jungle complete with Chinese food, Chinese satellite television channels and crews of Chinese migrant labourers living in cheap dormitory huts. Where once was wilderness, you find the workers of China Metallurgical Group Corp., toiling seven days a week and chattering about their families back home in Beijing and Sichuan. It hasn't been easy. The state-owned mining company has dealt with violent clashes with... (Globe and Mail -- International)
Castro Renews Offer to Meet Obama, Says Hopes `Too High' on Policy Change Jan 4, 2009
The U.S. imposed a trade embargo on Cuba in 1960 after , Rauls brother, expropriated American property and sought closer ties with the former Soviet Union. Hopefully Im wrong about that and Mr. Obama has success, Castro, 77, said on state television late Friday, according to Spanish news agency EFE. Gesture for gesture, we are ready to do it whenever it may be, whenever they may decide, without intermediaries, directly, but we are in no rush, we are not desperate to meet. (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
Should the U.S. Congress put a cap on executive pay? Jan 4, 2009
Since the fall of the former Soviet Union, no one has seriously challenged the wisdom of relegating a high proportion of society's most important tasks to private markets. And the market-determined salary of a job generally offers the best if imperfect measure of its importance. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
Colonel's 'circuitous' military career ending with a new desert home (5) Jan 4, 2009
In the early days of her career, the main enemy was the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. The Army was geared to fight a major land war in Europe and that meant she got to know about her counterpart across the line. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
2008 in passing: Some notable people who died this past year Jan 4, 2009
Canadian ambassador to the Soviet Union and envoy to the United Nations who inherited his father Prime Minister Lester Pearson's fascination with international affairs and dedication to peace. Haydn Llewellyn Davies, 86. (Times and Transcript)
M J Akbar: Find peace with ourselves Jan 4, 2009
Ideology was killed when a laissez faire philosophy, fattened on the corpse of the Soviet Union, took over. I am no admirer of Soviet socialism; it was a dreary concept, fettered in bureaucratic aridity, and pumped up by pseudo-imperialism. (India Times, India)
U.S. to split by 2010? Russian analyst thinks so Jan 3, 2009
"What may be clouding Mr. Panarin's crystal ball is the mistaken belief that U.S. citizens view themselves in the same way that residents of the old Soviet Union viewed that state," e-mails Thomas J. Baerwald, an investigator in a project called "Beyond Borders" and past president of the Association of American Geographers. Just before the breakup of the Soviet Union, four Soviet and five American geographers started "Beyond Borders" to map within the Soviet empire the human values that endure... (Huntington WSAZ-TV, WV)
SPECIAL SERIES Jan 3, 2009
Cuba's economy was nearly decimated after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Even though Venezuela has stepped in, sending some 100,000 barrels of subsidized oil a day, Cuba's economy has been hurt this year by three hurricanes causing $10 billion in damage and high food prices. (Christian Science Monitor -- USA)
...Castro warns of US threat Jan 3, 2009
In the 50 years since, Communist Cuba has outlasted 10 US presidents, faced a missile crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, endured the collapse of its main benefactor, the Soviet Union, and saw many of its citizens flee ... The Caribbean island still officially operates in the Special Period in Peacetime, an extended economic crisis that began in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. (The Drudge Report)
Americans Are Resilient Jan 3, 2009
Russia has never gotten over the collapse of the Soviet Union, which lowered the worldwide status of the country. We wouldn't say Panarin's preduction holds the highest place in the library of crackpot professors, but it has shelf space there. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
35 comments Jan 3, 2009
Beginning in the 1930 s and continuing into the 1950 s, Stalin imposed collectivization, sent millions to slave labor camps called Gulags to die from torture and starvation, and ruled the Soviet Union with absolute tyranny. 20,000 in Butovo were shot to death. (Human Events Online)
Mideast: David And Beersheba Jan 3, 2009
The BM-21 Grad is a truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher used by the former Soviet Union that fires 122 mm rockets. Hamas is known to possess 122 mm Katyusha rockets, which have a range of about 18 miles, and has fired improved 122 mm Katyushas, with a range of up to 30 miles. (Investors Business Daily)
Economy looms as China, US celebrate relations Jan 3, 2009
And good ties have not always been an easy sell in Washington either, particularly after the fall of the Soviet Union removed the bitter enmity that first united Washington and Beijing. Repairing the Sino-US relationship is increasingly seen as one of the few clear foreign policy successes of a Bush administration bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
Cuba marks 50 years of revolution Jan 2, 2009
"It is time to reflect on the future, on the next 50 years when we shall continue to struggle incessantly. "I'm not trying to scare anyone, this is the truth," he added. A series of free concerts had been planned across the island, but the authorities said it was not the time for lavish celebrations after the nation suffered one of the most difficult financial years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Towering presence The frail health of Fidel Castro has also dampened the mood of... (BBC News)
Movie: The Deadly Mantis (1957) Jan 2, 2009
The first seven minutes are dedicated to a heroic report on America's first-alert defense systems that guard against a sneak attack from the godless Soviet Union. Once the stock footage subsides, The Deadly Mantis reverts to a generic 1950s science fiction flick: monster gains freedom, monster runs amok, monster is identified, monster is destroyed. (Suite101.com)
Castro says Cuba revolution faces years of struggle Jan 2, 2009
They suffered for years after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's biggest benefactor, threw the economy into a tailspin from which it has only recently begun to recover, with help from oil-rich ally Venezuela. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who calls Fidel Castro a father and now leads a bloc of socialist leaders in Latin America, honored the Cuban revolution on Thursday. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Russia cuts off gas to Ukraine Jan 2, 2009
Russia and Ukraine were united in the Soviet Union until its Soviet collapse in 1991. The subsequent pro-Russian leadership in Ukraine was ousted by the "Orange Revolution" of 2004 that swept Yushchenko to power. (India Times)
A new international agenda Jan 2, 2009
The "winner's complex" - the fanfare of triumph sounded by the West after the Soviet Union left the international arena - obscured the fact that the end of the Cold War was not a victory for one side or one ideology. It was instead a common achievement and a common challenge, a call for major change. (International Herald Tribune)
Your thoughts on copyright in Canada Jan 2, 2009
" What is the most important factor the Conservatives should consider with any new copyright legislation? What is the correct balance between corporate rights and consumer interests? Using our comment tool, about the future of copyright in Canada, and we will publish the responses below. Most recent submissions will appear at the top. Paul V from Toronto Canada writes: Canada's current copyright laws are no longer representative of our cultural values and activities. Daily activities in the... (Globe and Mail)
My cat travels more than Sarah Palin Jan 2, 2009
Halfway through that time, Odessa moved again, this time boarding one of those notoriously unsafe Russian aircraft for the four-plus-hour flight from Moscow to Tel Aviv, following the route that hundreds of thousands of Russian Jews took after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Next up was the one-hour drive east into the hills of Jerusalem. (Globe and Mail)
Click for Full Story Jan 2, 2009
Fifty years ago, on Jan. 2, 1959, the Soviet Union launched its space probe Luna 1. It was the first manmade object to fly past the moon, which evidently was its intended target. (KWTX.com, TX)
A tough year Jan 2, 2009
Central Asian republics such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan are all to a varying degree ruled by men who are out of touch with the public mood, accused of corrupt and incompetent governance and who have yet to develop alternative political systems ever since the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Afghanistan faces presidential elections when the government is held in low esteem by the people for failing to tackle corruption and drug dealing. (BBC News -- South Asia)
Kurdish Defendants Find Support in Town's Clasp Jan 2, 2009
It is a place whose population of 40,000 has been transformed in recent years by the Kurds, refugees from the former Soviet Union and a steady stream of Latin American migrant workers. Qambari quickly found work and saved money to bring his wife and children. (Yahoo News -- Kurdish Issues)
Old Acquaintances Jan 2, 2009
Paul s promotion of democratic reforms in the Soviet Union was so effective that the KGB classified him as an agent of influence. Our friendship of more than a quarter-century was a treasure. (Human Events Online)
Gazprom shuts off gas links to Ukraine Jan 2, 2009
The conflict could sharply escalate tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the two largest successor states of the former Soviet Union. 1. (International Herald Tribune -- Money Report)
From Russia, With Sadism Jan 2, 2009
It was a time, Balabanov is saying, of social decay that would lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union. "I show what filth we lived in," Balabanov, who has been called Russia's David Lynch, told the Wall Street Journal in 2007. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Castro is a no-show at anniversary bash Jan 2, 2009
December 1991: Fall of the Soviet Union ends extensive aid and trade for Cuba; economic output drops 35% by 1994. Jan. 21-25, 1998: Pope John Paul II visits Cuba. (USA Today)
Part 3: A force behind rising healthcare costs Jan 1, 2009
General wryly observed about being asked to collaborate with the Brigham: "I was raised to hate three things: the Soviet Union, the Brigham, and Yale.". But at the press conference announcing the deal in December 1993, leaders of the two hospitals said their alliance would only make them greater. (Boston Globe)
Movie treats in 2009 Jan 1, 2009
But when a murdered man is revealed to have been a government-hired superhero, the superheroes uncover a terrifying conspiracy to eliminate them all, amidst heightened political tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. 5. (CNN -- International)
Cuba's economic challenge Jan 1, 2009
Since the revolution which climaxed on 1 January 1959, Cuba has seen the attempted Bay of Pigs invasion, repeated assassination attempts against Fidel Castro, the collapse of its main benefactor the Soviet Union, and a decades-long US trade embargo. One of the effects of the embargo is that the streets of the Cuban capital, Havana, are still filled with many of the same old American cars that were here when Fidel Castro came to power 50 years ago. (BBC News -- Americas)
U.S., China mark 30 years of a growing bond Jan 1, 2009
At the time, America saw the Soviet Union as its biggest threat and sought to ally itself with communist China as a balance to Soviet power, even at the expense of cutting its ties with Taiwan, which it had long supported. China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Letters to the Editor Jan 1, 2009
After driving the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in the 1980s, the Mujahideen did not just go happily back to being farmers. Giving Kashmir to Pakistan will only convince them of the effectiveness of their methods. (Yahoo News)
* FEATURE :Armenians, Georgians in unholy row over church Jan 1, 2009
Armenian experts say the Norashen Church was built in the 15th century for the local Armenian community and continued to operate until it was shut down during the Soviet Unions anti-religion drive in the 1930s ... When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ownership of the church fell to the Georgian government and the dispute has yet to be resolved. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
China, Vietnam settle border dispute Jan 1, 2009
But Vietnam, traditionally wary of its larger Asian neighbour, eventually gravitated into the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union. In early 1979, China and Vietnam fought a brief border war after Vietnamese troops overthrew Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge that favoured Beijing. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Remembering The Fab '50s Jan 1, 2009
"In 1955," Price says, "the Soviet Union launched Sputnik and, for a lot of people, they were terrified. They were convinced that was where the attack from Communists or the Soviet Union was going to come from.". "I think about this a lot -- that if Rosa Parks didn't sit in the seat she sat in, I couldn't sit in the seat that I sit in, in this job," Mitchell says. (CBS News -- Early Show)
Cuban communism turns 50 Jan 1, 2009
It is still officially in the Special Period in Peacetime, an extended period of economic crisis that began in 1991 after the collapse of its main backer, the Soviet Union. Although the island of 11. (iAfrica.com)
A year of the departed Jan 1, 2009
The self-styled "Smiling General," and president of Indonesia (1967-1998), was lauded in the West until the collapse of the Soviet Union turned a critical flashlight on his flagrant human-rights abuses and the Asian financial crisis exposed his regime's corruption and nepotism. Robert Weaver, 87. (Globe and Mail -- Business)
Gaza as Microcosm Jan 1, 2009
This is not merely a lie, it is agitprop: the combination of agitation and propaganda the Soviet Union used to misinform, to calm or inflame. The Soviets employed it daily to divide the West, to encourage appeasers and to becloud the Soviets intentions. (Human Events Online)
Think 2008 Was A Bad Year? Reconsider '68 For A Sense Of Perspective Jan 1, 2009
For one thing, the "Evil Empire" of the Soviet Union has collapsed and no longer menaces the very existence of the United States ... The very designation of that one-time Red alliance highlights the positive distance we're traveled in 40 years: in 1968, the pro-American nations of NATO faced off against the Soviet Union and its satellites arrayed in the "Warsaw Pact." Today, the city of Warsaw constitutes the booming capital of perhaps the single most pro-American nation on the planet. (Townhall.com)
Gazprom cuts Ukraine gas deliveries Jan 1, 2009
The conflict could sharply escalate tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the two largest successor states of the former Soviet Union. In comments broadcast Wednesday evening on Russian state television, Russia's prime minister, Vladimir Putin, said that any interference with Russia's gas exports to Europe would carry "serious consequences for the transit country itself." He did not elaborate. (International Herald Tribune -- Business)
NBC Promotes Vanity Fair's 'Good Riddance' to Team Bush Jan 1, 2009
far-left Boston Globe columnist James Carroll dreamed that Obama will fulfill Gorbachev's 1988 pledge to achieve "the demilitarization of international relations" and change the world "from an economy of armament to an economy of disarmament." In his Monday column, "Gorbachev's model for Obama," Carroll, who fully credited Gorbachev with the fall of the Berlin Wall and dismantling of the Soviet Union, trumpeted Obama's opportunity: "By the grace of God, it is not too late to match the greatness... (MediaResearch.org)
After Sarkozy, a Czech takes EU helm Jan 1, 2009
He has likened the EU to the former Soviet Union. The motto for the Czech EU presidency is "Europe Without Barriers." The Czechs plan to focus on Europe's economy and energy policy while floating an ambitious "eastern neighborhood initiative" to bring Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova closer to the EU.. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Cuba marks 50th anniversary of Castro revolution Jan 1, 2009
They suffered for years after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's biggest benefactor, which threw the economy into a tailspin from which, with help from oil-rich ally Venezuela, it has only recently begun to recover. They say they need more than the $20 they earn on average each month. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
The Cuban revolution at 50 Dec 31, 2008
In October 1959, just nine months after entering Havana, Mr Castro began the contacts with the Soviet Union that swiftly led to a full-scale economic and military alliance ... In 1962 the Soviet Union s decision to station missiles on Cuban soil brought the world the closest it has ever come to nuclear war ... The collapse of the Soviet Union deprived Cuba of net subsidies of around $2 billion a year, and caused its economy to shrink by a third. (The Economist)
America and the Middle East: How to learn from history Dec 31, 2008
America wielded vast regional influence following its routing of Saddam Hussein in Kuwait and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Arafat himself, having alienated many Arab leaders by supporting Saddam, was short of friends, cash and alternatives; the freedom fighter seemed anxious to give diplomacy a chance. (The Economist)
After 50 years, what's next for U.S.-Cuba ties? Dec 31, 2008
Cuba has survived for half a century by relying on its friends first, the Soviet Union, now Venezuela, and by blaming the U.S. embargo for its ills. U.S. presidents in both political parties have played into the Cuban narrative. (MSNBC -- International)
