From TNR, “Putin Is Using WWII for Propaganda Because It’s the Best Memory That Russia Has” by Tikhon Dyadko, assistant editor at DozhdTV, an independent station. A joke is making the rounds among Vladimir Putin’s opponents in Moscow: His two … Continue reading →
Two good posts from Andrew Stuttaford at NRO’s Corner. First, the ominous appearance of “little green men,” the unofficial Russian troops who took Crimea, in various places in eastern Ukraine. One data point in a pattern: Men in camouflage, armed … Continue reading →
Pretty good, over at WSJ. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →All countries sometimes conduct policy based on stereotypes and a bit of wish-fulfillment. John Vinocur in the WSJ (paywalled, alas) discusses the role unreality plays in German attitudes towards Russia and the present-day implications thereof. This is pretty much exactly … Continue reading →
Well, here’s something I hadn’t heard. The Kremlin founded an organization for ethnic Russians abroad to destabilize their countries of residence in favor of Great Russian imperialism. And they literally called it the Rusintern. Боже мой. Andrew Stuttaford has the … Continue reading →
Long-time readers of the Gormogons’ will be familiar with the Volgi’s Fallacy of Foreign-Policy Egocentrism. This states, more or less, “it’s not all about us.” Which is a short way of saying that, because states determine their own interests and … Continue reading →
Seagal ♥ Vlad. And apparently Grecian Formula and Just for Men. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Not the dolphins, Vlad! Not the dolphins! Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Just outstanding stuff. Read the whole thing. As president of a small Baltic republic that was occupied by the Soviet Union for more than four decades, Estonia’s Toomas Hendrik Ilves is all too familiar with the way Russia has treated … Continue reading →
U.S. lawmakers are increasingly concerned about Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine and the prospect of an additional land grab, as both houses of Congress voted to slap sanctions on Russia and extend loan guarantees to Ukraine. Pentagon … Continue reading →
The East Europeans know they inhabit the battleground between the West and a Russia that wants to return them to its sphere of influence. Ukrainians see tens of thousands of Russian troops across their border and know they are looking … Continue reading →
Matthew Kaminski in the WSJ (firewall, alas) on the culture of Great Russian chauvinism bedecked with Soviet faux-stalgia which has driven Putin’s approval ratings into the 80s… Late the other night at 7 Pyatnits (“7 Fridays”), one of a few … Continue reading →
A typically well-written article which wraps up with some Œc. Vol.esque suggestions for what to do. But the beginning is great. Early in the Ukraine crisis, when the Europeans were working on bringing Ukraine into the EU system and Vladimir … Continue reading →
Noted Estoniphile Andrew Stuttaford writes a good apologia in NRO’s Corner, the entirety of which you should read. Among other good points, he notes: The reason that there is a large Russian minority in the east of Estonia is that … Continue reading →
…about our national priorities? Follow GorT here for a minute and then ask that question. In 2008, Obama spoke about the space program and said the following: “When I was growing up, NASA inspired the world with achievements that we’re … Continue reading →
That’s Estonian for “BEAR!” Remember, way back, say, two weeks ago, when I said this? “Force people to think about what our options would be in case of a Russian ‘intervention’ in a NATO ally to ‘protect’ a Russian minority.” … Continue reading →
Russian forces storm Ukraine naval HQ in Crimea Russians taking down the Ukrainian flag SEVASTOPOL/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) – Russian troops and unarmed men stormed Ukraine’s naval headquarters in the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Wednesday and raised the Russian flag … Continue reading →
In Moscow and Beijing, they still believe foreign policy is about military and economic power, “spheres of influence,” formal alliances, and political control. In Western Europe (and much of this administration), it’s about moral authority, international norms, and other kinds … Continue reading →
From Kiev: Ukrainians, however, were convinced from Putin’s speech to the Russian Duma that the conflict could not remain cold. Many said they found some of Putin’s phrasing chilling, including his statement that “We’re one nation. Kiev is the mother … Continue reading →
NRO’s Corner continues to have good stuff on the Crimean Crisis. Andrew Stuttaford: Putin’s Crimean Roar Putin’s big speech today was (very, very) light on honesty, and time is too short for now to list all the omissions and distortions, … Continue reading →
Or more broadly construed, oikophobia, the opposite of xenophobia, the distaste and hatred of the familiar, the home, the hearth, one’s own land. It’s a topic I’ve touched on before (here, for example; or dig around in this tag). But … Continue reading →
Via Jim Geraghty, the Daily Mail reports Ukraine remains under the sword of Damocles. Ukraine warned last night that 80,000 Russian troops were massing on its borders and could invade – as world leaders told Vladimir Putin to back off. … Continue reading →
In George Weigel destroys Eugene Robinson. I doubt that Eugene Robinson has any patriotic feeling for Russia, but his evident vulnerability to Russian propaganda suggests that he, like other members of the left-leaning commentariat, continue to read the politics of … Continue reading →
Justice & Nemesis Pursuing Crimevia mythindex.com. So argues Alex Alexiev in National Review Online: With the incorporation of Crimea into Russia by force of arms about to become a fait accompli next week, speculation is increasingly turning to the longer-term … Continue reading →
Some stories on Russia worth your time: Leon Aron: The Front Lines on Russia’s Home Front Those who claim Putin commits acts like seizing Crimea simply because he can are wrong. He does these things because he must — because, … Continue reading →
Apparently the Russian Army is storming a Ukranian air force base in Crimea, despite calls for a diplomatic solution during their phone call yesterday. I will make it legal… Remember President Obama’s words to former President Medvedev? “After my election … Continue reading →
The State Department gets a lot of flak, much deserved, but much undeserved, as its job is often to play the good cop or be the make-nice agency of the government. What it rarely does is load both rhetorical barrels … Continue reading →
Putin and others are hacking at the Pax Americana which sustains our historically peaceful, prosperous world. They need to be deterred, and we and our allies need to be serious about rebuilding the institutions, especially militaries, which have sustained it. As the Gormogons’ usual … Continue reading →
The American media is doing a really poor job of covering the Ukraine crisis, and this is largely because they ignored its importance for so long that they are scrambling to catch everyone up, what with gays not getting timely … Continue reading →
There is not much left to say about President Obama on this Syria affair, but it is interesting to see parties on the Left and Right come together at long last and excoriate his inept bungling of what seemed a … Continue reading →
Dr. J., like GorT loves elegantly visualized information. Indeed, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, by Edward Tufte is required reading at New Atlantis Ivory Tower School of Medicine. Dr. J.’s favorite example is this map/graph of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia: … Continue reading →
…and I’ll show you yourself. So says Mrs. Dr. J.’s mother, anyway. The Washington Times writes today of President Obama’s latest endorsements, from Vladimir Putin, Raul Castro, and the ever so charming Hugo (don’t call me Cesar) Chavez. Let’s review … Continue reading →
Citius, Altius, Fortius, unless you put in the third best performance on your team. Clan J. gathered around the holoscreen last night to watch the women’s gymnastics qualification round. NBC’s coverage was only trivially problematic, because the United States were … Continue reading →
You probably heard that Russian scientists in the Antarctic drilled through the ice and reached a mysterious, under-the-ice freshwater lake not seen in 20 million years. This was an amazing effort. You probably did not hear, of course, that a … Continue reading →
Dear News Media, you think to yourself, with all this talk about Michelle Obama breaking the jumping jacks record, and all this stuff about Tim Tebow, what the heck is going on in Russia? While the News Media blinks back … Continue reading →
Well, the Phobos-Grunt mission was pretty cool in concept: send a lander to the eerie Martian moon Phobos, grab a fair amount of soil, and bring it back to Earth. But the probe launched from Earth, and due to a … Continue reading →
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first human in space – Yuri Gagarin (call sign: Кедр) made is 108 minute flight early April 12th, 1961 aboard the Vostok spacecraft. AS part of the space race, the Americans would follow … Continue reading →
If this is so, no other word leaps to mind. Not having read the cables in question, one doesn’t know if the British press is exaggerating, but if we actually traded UK national-security information to the Russians in exchange for … Continue reading →
ERC responds to DT’s letter about California. Your link to Dr. Hanson’s article was a real downer. I’m a second generation Californian in my mid sixties. “I’ve seen California destroyed by Progress.“ I’m one of those 20-to-100-acre orchardists: used to … Continue reading →
The Big Guy from Listen To Uncle Jay writes in: “The peasants are revolting!” —Sir Rodney, The Wizard of Id, Parker & Hart O Cruel and Vicious Czar, By the Grace of God, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, … Continue reading →
Thanks to Johnson’s Russia List, we confirm once again that the wheels of justice grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine. RIA Novosti tells us that “Russian prosecutors drop charges against businesswoman who died in custody.”Vera Trifonova died in April … Continue reading →
It is imperative that European and American leaders show Russia that they will not tolerate this situation. At every bilateral or multilateral forum, European Union member states and the United States should ask specific questions about the progress of investigations … Continue reading →
Four years ago this week, the Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered execution-style in the elevator of her Moscow apartment building. The truth is an increasingly scarce commodity in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and Politkovskaya’s murder showed that for those … Continue reading →
So, over at Contentions, J.E. Dyer puts up a bunch of links showing Russian attempts to bully Japan over the Kuril Islands, concluding: Its significance cannot be overemphasized. In approaching this confrontation, Russia is effectively treating Japan — a G-8 … Continue reading →
Because this retiring Air Force general’s presentation to the Air Force Association makes it clear that our this-generation aircraft are increasingly vulnerable to both Russian and Chinese SAMs and fighters, and our heretofore unchallengeable air superiority is becoming, well, challengeable, … Continue reading →
The Pentagon today is increasing planning for smaller-scale conflicts in which the need for global, conventional warhead launchers will be particularly acute. But New Start, with its myopic focus on Russian arms levels, will severely limit our small-war capabilities. Since … Continue reading →
The always awesome Borepatch (you read him every day, right?) scours the web so you don’t have to. And today, he swung by the Castle with a wildly surreal blend of pin up art and Soviet propaganda. Evidently, yes, there … Continue reading →
Issue #1: Taxes Country #1 has a “13% flat tax” (albeit not a strict flat tax) and is doing away with capital gains taxes on long-term investments starting in 2011 – largely to attract more investment into domestic businesses. Country … Continue reading →
The earth is moving under our feet. In a development that’s rather jaw-dropping in light of historical attitudes, the Russian Orthodox Church is proclaiming itself “no longer a competitor but an ally” of the Roman Catholic Church when it comes … Continue reading →
Wow. I mean, wow. In an unprecedented step, the Russian State Archive published documents showing how Soviet leader Joseph Stalin approved the World War Two massacre proposed by his secret police henchman Lavrenty Beria. Other prominent members of the ruling … Continue reading →
Confucius* has some things to say about the repercussions of the shocking loss of most of the senior officials in the Polish government—near Katyń no less—but they’ll have to wait for a more propitious moment. Confucius would like to make … Continue reading →
So, the good folks over at Air Power Australia have put out maybe the most comprehensive open-source study of the PAK-FA, and whaddya know, it looks to be a hell of a plane. In fact, it’s so good that if … Continue reading →
Read the whole thing, it’d have to be scissored into a couple dozen bits to get all the good stuff. Here’s the beginning. The first meeting of the loftily named U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Civil Society Working Group took place … Continue reading →
Let me just add that part of Russia’s pique is due to the fact that Iran has been distancing themselves a bit from their former patron, due to having found a newer, deeper-pocketed partner in crime who hasn’t historically occupied … Continue reading →
So, Friday, the good folks at Sukhoi gave the first public test flight of the PAK-FA, which is an acronym meaning roughly “Advanced Aircraft System: Frontline Aviation.” The Sukhoi plane is officially called the T-50, so we’ll go with that … Continue reading →
Well, if the good folks at Planet Iran are right, the mollahs are at least laying the groundwork for a, well, permanent vacation in sunny Russia. Here’s what they claim is a redacted document from the Iranian National Security Agency … Continue reading →
John Noonan writes: The AFP is reporting that despite pulling the ground based mid-course interceptor from Europe, the Russians remain unhappy with Noble Laureate Obama’s missile defense plans. Ivan is, of course, playing the classic Russian game here — push … Continue reading →
The Russians may be aiding Iran in designing nuclear warheads. If true, look for an all-out Middle East war coming soon to a location near you. 'PuterAlways right, unless he isn’t, the infallible Ghettoputer F. X. Gormogons claims to be … Continue reading →
Georgia contributed to the problem, but even Europeans dependent on Russian natural gas have to admit ’twas the Bear. EVEN BEFORE the shooting ended, Russia’s invasion of Georgia last year prompted an international debate about who bore responsibility for the … Continue reading →
The Czar is prompted to reply to his own post in order to respond to various emails, comments, and so on at once. 1. “Do you really believe war with Iran is inevitable?” By no means. The Czar would not … Continue reading →
Know this, all ye who tremble before the Czar, et cetera. There are no coincidences in foreign policy. Readers here know the Czar has been sharing a little more each day about the chessboard setup that is Iran. Chess was … Continue reading →
He begins: During last year’s campaign, Sen. Joe Biden famously remarked that, if his ticket won, it wouldn’t be long before “the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy” on foreign affairs. Last week, President Obama, brilliantly wielding … Continue reading →
Tom Jocelyn at the Standard writes a good post today on the fact that “Obama’s Popularity Abroad Does Not Equal Gains for America.” In short: his personal popularity has not changed any of the complexes of problems with which President … Continue reading →
FoxNews is reporting on a CNN interview—if you need to take a moment to follow that—with Russian President Dmitri “Side Dish” Medvedev,* in which Medvedev downplays the risk of an Israeli strike on Iran. In a carefully worded response, Medvedev … Continue reading →
Suddenly, Russia has an opinion? Fresh on the heels of the Czar’s revelation that there may be some ménage à trois between Russia, Israel, and America leading to an Israeli attack on Iran comes four more interesting events. First, Russia … Continue reading →
Rumors keep crossing the Czar’s butcher block desk that there is more to President Obama’s concession to Russia on the missile defense shield. Vastly more. The rumors, now buzzing on conservative radio, Israeli chat forums, and whispered discussions, suggest that … Continue reading →
We’re selling out the Poles and Czechs to suck up to Bad Vlad. We are now on the clock for the next contemptuous gesture by Russia. And a Georgetown professor talks down to Burmese democrats. Thanks to Mike Goldfarb for … Continue reading →
Russia and China are both developing “fifth generation” fighters that will be widely exported at prices that will undercut the F-35 price tag. Both nations will thus acquire “near F-22 performance… while attempting to proliferate the [aircraft] to perhaps near … Continue reading →
Boris Nemtsov, who is of course an opponent of V.V. Putin, claims: One of the biggest myths perpetrated by Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine is that during his 10-year rule over Russia, the former president and current prime minister succeeded in … Continue reading →
The Gormogons have a new favorite Russian band, Posledniye tanky v Parizhe, or the Last Tanks in Paris (a pun on The Last Tango in Paris). Turns out that, like the Gormogons, they hate Vladimir Putin and his sleazy, corrupt, … Continue reading →
Felicitări! But, of course, were one an alarmist, one might think that, suitably twisted into an allegation of election fraud or the like, this otherwise happy result could serve as a pretext for a nasty, imperialist neighbor to come to … Continue reading →
“In August there will be such a yelling about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, saying that that was the step that led to the Second World War, and that Germany and the Soviet Union were two equal, disgusting, totalitarian monsters.” And your … Continue reading →
…in return for his grin-and-grip and missile deal (where we accepted reductions in missiles they were going to retire anyway as in their favor). Biden to Georgia: Lie back and think of England. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like … Continue reading →
Regardless of the vote in the Senate, “ The F-22 funding termination this week doesn’t change a thing [about the tactical advantages offered by the stealth fighter’s advanced systems] and I think history will bear out the F-22 advocates’ position … Continue reading →
Apparently they were buzzing Alaska with bombers during the summit, in contravention of historical practice. J.E. Dyer at Contentions speculates, “Whether on Georgia, missile defense, or other issues, Putin may have read something in his eyes that Obama didn’t know … Continue reading →
Off the front page, of course, but check this out: When the hard-liners gave the traditional chant of “death to America,” Mousavi supporters countered with “death to Russia” and “death to China.” It was a reference to Ahmadinejad’s alliance with … Continue reading →
Sleazebag Russian flunkies insult our president. You know, I thought these photos were just unfortunate moments caught like the G8 “checking out the ass” shot. But looks like not. Pick your explanation: insult the U.S. or not want to touch … Continue reading →
Is our offer to Russia (again). This time the president is stating it publicly: “I know Russia opposes the planned configuration for missile defence in Europe . . . I have made it clear that this system is directed at … Continue reading →
The upshot of all this is that the task of keeping Russia’s imperialist pretensions under control has just gotten harder. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →With President Barack Obama’s trip to Moscow on Monday, you might expect Russia to avoid stirring up any trouble. Yet the Russian media are now abuzz with speculation about a new war in Georgia, and some Western analysts are voicing … Continue reading →
Maybe, but Mike Goldfarb says, “Why the hell can’t he get it right the first time? Again?!” Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Maybe! At Gul’s May 27 press conference with Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, the Turkish leader said that “the most important issue of our discussions was the stability of Afghanistan.” He added that talks were held about how the two countries … Continue reading →
Here’s the Russian people making light of their ability to shut off natural gas supplies to Europe. It’s almost as funny as President Obama “joking” about siccing the IRS on his poltical enemies. Ah, the comic possibilities of threatening retribution … Continue reading →
…and lots of ’em: China Faces a Grad Glut After Boom at Colleges. This can’t end badly. I mean, disaffected intelligentsi have been an unalloyed blessing to, e.g., Russia, Italy, Germany, and the Arab world. Remember, there’s a reason that … Continue reading →
In another manifestation of the KGB ascendancy under Vlad the Bad, the Chekists’ traditional rival in the intelligence community, the GRU [Главвное разведительное управление, “Chief Intelligence Directorate [of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”] has … Continue reading →
From Anne Applebaum. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Stephen Schwartz also sees it as a bellwether. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Described by the inimitable Reuben Johnson. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Crucial times for a teetering democracy worried about Russification. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Your Volgi knows what the Czar means. Your Volgi hopes he doesn’t have to say, “Confucius say: Told you so.” (For more, click the Moldova tag below.) Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →North Korea’s Unha-2 missile…er, communcations satellite…was successfully launched, flew right over Japan, and put, evidently, an iPod into space that—if you listen to 470 MHz—you can hear endlessly looped recordings of “Song of General Kim Il-sung” and “Song of General … Continue reading →
Очень интересно. Свобода! Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →Read the whole thing. Money quote: Sooner or later, however, Barack Obama will also have to make hard decisions about regimes that oppose U.S. policy for reasons deeper than dislike of George W. Bush. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions … Continue reading →
So, President Obama went on YouTube and delivered a message to the leadership of Iran of how he wanted to get together and rap about all the false consciousness that’s harshing our bilateral mellow. Which, of course, led to Iran’s … Continue reading →
So suggests Reuben Johnson, a very knowledgeable observer. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. gormogons.com
Continue reading →The NorKs are going to test an ICBM under the guise of a “satellite launch.” Japan in response threatened to shoot the NorK missile out of the sky. Iran had declared itself a nuclear and space power. Cuba and Venezuela … Continue reading →
Confucius says: Can’t anybody play this game? So, you’ll remember the gift-giving fiascos of late. Guess what. It gets worse. At right is a picture of the “reset” button we gave the Russians in honor of Joe Biden’s immortal epigram. … Continue reading →
