The Way I See it

https://images.app.goo.gl/htpzw3n3u6QfwsoR9 I do not easily subscribe to the idea that men/women make history. I am much more at home with the notion that history shapes the environment in which people act and react. There are moments, however, when individuals’ destinies can play a decisive role in determining historical outcomes. We may be at just such a juncture. The three strategically most important countries in the world – the countries with the most lethal weapons and

Courtesy of Bing Russia and/or China Make a Move – or Don’t In the first part of this piece, I argued that there was a better than even chance why Russian and China might make serious strategic moves with international repercussions in their near-abroads in the next year or so. I also argued that there were important reasons why they might not. First, the reasons for the affirmative view. There are essentially three factors that militate in the direction of a coordinated or u

Courtesy of Bing #Russia-China Entente, #near abroad, #regional conflict, #Belarus, #Ukraine, #Taiwan, #North Korea, #Venezuela, #East China Sea, #Sea of Azov, #Putin, #Xi Jinping, #Trump, #Finland, #Vietnam, #Soviet-German Alliance, #Canada, #Australia. The Russian-Chinese “Entente” We humans are not very good at anticipating the future, but we understandably try. I think that there is a better than even chance that Russia and /or China will make serious strategic moves with

I am the centre of the universe I command respect in Russia’s smallest spaces I control the parliament I manipulate the media The security services do my bidding The judiciary is in my palm My people know their history I have a modernizing army that has shown its mettle near and far I have 7300 nuclear warheads (nobody really knows how many) I am ready to use them to stay in power until I die regardless of the cost to my country its region or beyond I am a really smart guy I

Picture from the website www.funnyordie.com This blog was carried on the website of the Security Governance Group on 17 February 2015. Russian President Putin is a crafty operator but he has several albatrosses around his neck. Western politicians need to take this into account when developing their policy responses. They also need to be thinking about how to best shape the post-Putin era. President Putin’s current mandate runs out in 2018. It has long been expected that he w