September 24, 2015
U.S. (click here) President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York next week at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on Thursday over the top priority for the talks.
The White House insisted the meeting would focus on eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed forces are fighting the Kiev government, prompting tough sanctions that have damaged Russia's economy.
Moscow, however, said the main focus would be on Syria, where Russia has built up its military forces in recent weeks with combat aircraft, tanks and other equipment in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Ukraine is more about an impasse and Syria is about The West getting out of the way. Turkey is NATO and there has to be an agreement about the outcomes. President Putin is coming t set the terms. He isn't interested in conflict of major powers.
September 26, 2015
As yet, (click here) Mr Putin does not have much to worry about. Ukraine’s reformers have tried, but their war on corruption is not going well The Ukrainian state, like the Russian one, still resembles a giant mafia. It administers the country (reluctantly), but its main purpose is to generate graft and it governs largely by dishing out the proceeds. Oligarchs and their political cronies still dominate Ukrainian life. Should the government do too much to fight corruption, the oligarchs may use their private armies to stage a coup. Should the government do too little, angry Maidan veterans might stage one themselves. That could leave Europe with a failed state on its borders contested by rival militias—a European Syria....
U.S. (click here) President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York next week at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on Thursday over the top priority for the talks.
The White House insisted the meeting would focus on eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed forces are fighting the Kiev government, prompting tough sanctions that have damaged Russia's economy.
Moscow, however, said the main focus would be on Syria, where Russia has built up its military forces in recent weeks with combat aircraft, tanks and other equipment in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
Ukraine is more about an impasse and Syria is about The West getting out of the way. Turkey is NATO and there has to be an agreement about the outcomes. President Putin is coming t set the terms. He isn't interested in conflict of major powers.
September 26, 2015
As yet, (click here) Mr Putin does not have much to worry about. Ukraine’s reformers have tried, but their war on corruption is not going well The Ukrainian state, like the Russian one, still resembles a giant mafia. It administers the country (reluctantly), but its main purpose is to generate graft and it governs largely by dishing out the proceeds. Oligarchs and their political cronies still dominate Ukrainian life. Should the government do too much to fight corruption, the oligarchs may use their private armies to stage a coup. Should the government do too little, angry Maidan veterans might stage one themselves. That could leave Europe with a failed state on its borders contested by rival militias—a European Syria....
