Epstein Secrets

In addition, various political figures and commentators have praised or come to the defense of despotic rulers including Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Bashar al-Assad. 6. Modem authoritarians can be expected to dou- ble down on their drive to neuter civil society as an incubator of reformist ideas and political

o defend embattled allies like Syria's 8ashar al-Assad. There is also growing replica- tion of what migh

,' in Freedom on the Net 2016 (New York: Freedom House, 2016), bttps://f reedomhou se.org/report/freeginm-note2016/rus- sit 4. Peter Pomerantsev and Michael Weiss, The Menace of Unreality: How the Kremlin Vieaoonyzes Into:motion Culture and Money (New York Institute of Modem Russia, 2014), reality Final.pdf.

le, including by the repeated use of chemical weapons, and yet has remarkably culminated in the re- legitimization of the person responsible for it, Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian civil war— particularly the White House's inept and improvisational response to it—has accidentally transformed Putin into a major powe

military aid to moderate groups in the Syrian opposition, enough to raise their hopes but not enough to ensure success on the battlefield. And when Assad used chemical weapons against civilian neighborhoods, Obama threatened military action — only to back off, again dashing the hopes of pro-U.S. fact

an Kurdistan: another state in the making in the Middle East? Robert Olson Article 5. The American Interest Russia's Return to the Middle East Michael Weiss Anu•k I. Los Angeles Times Moonwalking in Syria Doyle McManus December 15, 2013 -- Here's how feeble U.S. influence on the outcome of Syria's

ns like the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Organization of American States, and to defend embattled allies like Syria's Bashar al-Assad. There is also growing replica- tion of what might be called authoritarian best practices, vividly on display in the new Chinese law on nongovernment

a,” in Freedom on the Net 2016 (New York: Freedom House, 2016), https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2016/rus- sia. 4. Peter Pomerantsev and Michael Weiss, The Menace of Unreality: How the Kremlin Weaponizes Information, Culture and Money (New York: Institute of Modern Russia, 2014), http://www.interpre