Open Thread 141, by Anatoly Karlin

Russia’s targeting of some opposition groups & media seems to be about links to hostile foreign states, not their support at home

If you believe his critics, President Vladimir Putin has been destroying Russia’s democracy, virtually from the day he took office. In fact, he’s been accused of this so frequently it’s amazing there’s anything left to destroy. Recent reports that he has embarked on a sweeping new program of political repression may therefore induce a disbelieving […]

America Goes To War Constantly Without Regard For Any Real National Interest – Philip Giraldi

At last week’s Rage Against the War Machine peace rally in Washington there was no shortage of speakers who denounced the Biden Administration’s hypocritical foreign policy, which essentially judges any violent action undertaken by the United States and its friends as good by definition while anything done by rivals or competitors, sometimes conveniently referred to as “enemies,” […]

Russia-China advance Asian roadmap for Afghanistan – Pepe Escobar Asia Times

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting of Foreign Ministers on Wednesday in Dushanbe, the Tajik capital, may have been an under-the-radar affair, but it did reveal the contours of the big picture ahead when it comes to Afghanistan.   So let’s see what Russia and China – the SCO’s heavyweights – have been up to.     […]