Epstein Secrets

nt after the Bay of Pigs failure and the botched Vienna summit, and then proceeded to test the American president from Cuba to Berlin, so President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now believe they are dealing with a dithering and indecisive American leader, and are calibrating their p

ident from Cuba to Berlin, so President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei now bel

rican president from Cuba to Berlin, so President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

ing democracy; the so- called Deauville Partnership never got much beyond the stage of rhetoric. I'm told a more ambitious proposal for a concerted Arab Spring initiative was debated within the Obama administration in 2012 but was rejected because it might have been a distraction from President Obama's all

olitical reconciliation and economic growth. There was a halfhearted effort led by France in 2011 to create a sort of collective support system for Arab Spring democracy; the so- called Deauville Partnership never got much beyond the stage of rhetoric. I'm told a more ambitious proposal for a concerted Ara

y 5, 2014 -- The German philosopher Jurgen Habermas once defined our times as "the age of post-national identity." Try convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin of that. Indeed, the great paradox of the current era of globalization is that the quest for homogeneity has been accompanied by a longing for ethn

A similar risk can be found in Catalonia's bid for independence from Spain. The central state always has its own nation-building responsibilities. Putin can manipulate Ukraine not because there is a shred of credibility to his claim that the Russian minority there faces persecution, but because Ukr

onal identity." Try convincing Russian President Vladimir Putin of that. Indeed, the great paradox of the

. Despite those military feats, the foundations of Israeli security have cracked and crumbled rapidly since 2011 and the onslaught of the so-called Arab Spring. Notwithstanding Israel's military prowess, the country's security is growing more precarious on a numerous fronts, and the Israelis are gravely co

dle East: The End of America's Moment? NYT Russia vs. Europe Bill Keller December 15, 2013 -- The world needs Nelson Mandelas. Instead, it gets Vladimir Putins. As the South African hero was being sung to his grave last week, the Russian president was bullying neighboring Ukraine into a new customs union t

nion Lite, and consolidating his control of state-run media by creating a new Kremlin news agency under a nationalistic and homophobic hard-liner. Putin's moves were not isolated events. They fit into a pattern of behavior over the past couple of years that deliberately distances Russia from the soc

he world needs Nelson Mandelas. Instead, it gets Vladimir Putins. As the South African hero was being sung

a transitional period after the revolution. Compare our situation to other countries in a similar situation — Libya, Syria, Yemen, Egypt and other Arab Spring countries. Tunisia is obviously faring much better. It is the last candle still shining in the Arab Spring despite all the winds that are blowing a

aceful protest movement into a virtual civil war. But he still has a few friends in low places. The Iranians aren't giving up on him, and in Moscow Vladimir Putin won't abandon the son of the Soviet Union's favorite Arab tyrant, Hafez Assad. Far from it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week reject

blatant interference in its internal affairs." The Kremlin's support makes it harder to ease Mr. Assad out peacefully in Damascus. But perhaps Mr. Putin's loyalty can be explained by the fact that he faces his own growing opposition. His ruling party cheated in December's parliamentary elections and

e Iranians aren't giving up on him, and in Moscow Vladimir Putin won't abandon the son of the Soviet Union'

es that neoconservatives were right all along Elliott Abrams EFTA00660812 January 23, 2012 -- There is a sour mood nowadays about the so-called Arab Spring. Armed gangs roam in Libya, Salafists win votes in Egypt, and minorities like the Egyptian Copts live in fear -- as does the Shiite majority in Bah

ate end to Russo-Chinese collusion, nor does it obviate the need for Washington to pursue pragmatic policies designed to avert such a partnership. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will continue to seek common ground, if only as a result of their shared discomfort in an international system built and maintained

gion's Chinese population amidst Russian decline may place the other in a bind, with nationalist pressure setting constraints on compromise. While Putin and Xi grip and grin, the demographic EFTA_R1_00441208 EFTA01964460 time-bomb between them is ticking—and if it goes off, a shared suspicion of

c policies designed to avert such a partnership. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will continue to seek commo

py about the current state of affairs. U.S. credibility and its image in the Middle East have taken a real beating. And our policy on the so-called Arab Spring, or what's left of it, is pretty much at sea, largely because we can't shape the internal dynamics of these societies. Still, on many things that

t wave of protests and uprisings against autocrats is seeing stuff you never imagined you'd see — like, in Moscow last week, when some opponents of Vladimir Putin's decision to become president again, for possibly 12 more years, hung a huge yellow banner on a rooftop facing the Kremlin with Putin's face covere

of Vladimir Putin's decision to become president again, for possibly 12 more years, hung a huge yellow banner on a rooftop facing the Kremlin with Putin's face covered by a big X, next to the words "Putin Go Away" in Russian. The sheer brazenness of such protests and the anger at Prime Minister Put

ike, in Moscow last week, when some opponents of Vladimir Putin's decision to become president again, for

omes violence, and at best, will result in continuation of the revolution. In this way, one year after the Egyptian revolution, and the so- called Arab Spring, the state of affairs have changed in an unprecedented manner which is not likely to reoccur in the future. What we came to know is that the early

utin Goes to War David Remnick March 1, 2014 -- Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and autocrat, had a

costs, and recent history has shown that when it considers its interests at stake, Russia has been willing to pay the price. Even before President Vladimir V. Putin on Saturday publicly declared his intent to send Russian troops into the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, Mr. Obama and his team were already discuss

ent Russian news site, how the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, in 1979, under the pretext of helping a "fraternal" ally in Kabul; to Parkhomenko, Putin's decision to couch his military action as the "protection" of Russians living in Crimea is an equally transparent pretext. The same goes for the d

s and liberal interventionists of overseeing a dangerous retreat from the world at a time when American influence is needed most. The once-hopeful Arab Spring has staggered into civil war and military coup. China is stepping up territorial claims in the waters off East Asia. Longtime allies in Europe and