Imagining Workable Solutions Why don’t you meet Osama bin Laden, invite him to Brussels or to the White House and engage in talks, ask him what he wants and give it to him so he leaves you in peace? You find it possible to set some limitations in your dealings with these bastards, so why […]
Troubleshooting Chechnya, Chapter III Read More »
The Unforeseen Consequences of War “’Are you okay, man?’ ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ It’s a lie. I wonder if I will ever be good again.” –David Bellavia Multiple consequences stem from Russia’s appointment of an autonomous Chechen leader. This, coupled with Moscow’s lack of recognition of the Chechen people’s only true representative, indirectly led to the
Troubleshooting Chechnya, Chapter II Read More »
Chechnya’s Geopolitical Landscape We’ll follow terrorists everywhere. We will corner the bandits in the toilet and wipe them out. –Vladimir Putin In November of 1991, soon after the dissipation of the Soviet Union, Chechnya declared their independence from Russia. Consequently, in 1994, Boris Yeltsin sent troops into Chechnya, attempting to maintain access to oil pipelines
Troubleshooting Chechnya, Chapter I Read More »
Early in the morning of February 28th, 2015 Moscow time, unknown assailants gunned down Boris Nemtsov – physicist and strong supporter of liberal democratic reforms – on a popular bridge just down the hill from the Kremlin and Red Square. This is the same bridge where, in 1993, Boris Yeltsin positioned tanks in an attempt
Boris Nemtsov’s Untimely Death and the Ongoing Threat to Dissidence in Russia Read More »
The conflict spreading throughout East Ukraine is an extension of a history defined by ongoing dispute. Over the past century, vast expanses of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea, changed hands from one country to the next until the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. For instance, up until the 1950s, contested land was given to
Ten Reasons to Pay Attention to Ukraine Read More »
Don Ness was elected Mayor of Duluth in 2008, just as the American economy was imploding. The city had a debt of $1.35 million, was being sued by the federal government, had massive sanitary sewer overflows into Lake Superior, and lacked a strong plan for building the infrastructure and retaining young professionals. Ness took a
Interview with Don Ness, Mayor of Duluth Read More »