Profile: Raul Castro Nov 21, 2009
The army played a crucial role in peacetime efforts to prop up the ailing Cuban economy following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Through a state-run tourism company, Gaviota, it also plays a primary role in the - now key - sector of tourism. (BBC News -- Americas)
US's dalliance in Beijing is short-lived Nov 21, 2009
His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey. (Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. (Asia Times Online)
What Is Political Correctness? Nov 21, 2009
Theirs was not the Marxism of the Soviet Union - Moscow considered them heretics - but it was Marxism nonetheless ... After all, Communists have viciously attacked both, and would happily cut both THEIR throats as well, as they did to Christians in the Soviet Union, and in Soviet wars and intrigue against Muslim countries. (The American Conservative)
Russia's poor children living in orphanages Nov 21, 2009
Nonetheless, a British charity is warning that hundreds of thousands of children in the former Soviet Union are living in special institutions, despite having at least one parent still alive. The BBC has gained rare access to the orphanages of the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. (BBC News -- Europe)
Taliban tap into Afghanistan's roots Nov 20, 2009
Other militaries, especially that of the United States, were long trained for conventional warfare (against the Soviet Union and the Iraqi army) in which the use of such firepower was central. The US military diligently avoided counter-insurgency training, during and even after Vietnam, as such expertise might invite politicians to get involved in another lengthy and painful insurgency. (Asia Times Online)
U.S. war planners woo skeptical Pakistanis Nov 20, 2009
Pakistan helped nurture a generation of Islamic militants after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Following the Soviet withdrawal a decade later, Pakistan helped the Taliban seize control. (MSNBC -- International)
Joseloff: 'We'll do our best' Nov 20, 2009
He recalled his background as a journalist, when he covered world events where heroes like Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Andre Sakharov fought for basic human rights in the Soviet Union and students took to the streets in the Philippines to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos. "Now you know why the occasional heated Westport town meetings don't really bother me," Joseloff said. (Westport Minuteman, CT)
Go with the savvy investors Nov 20, 2009
As Rutgers University political scientist Jack S. Levy noted in 2003, findings about the human tendency to want to recoup sunk costs "help to explain why states continue to pursue failing military interventions ... rather than cutting their losses and negotiating a withdrawal ..., as evidenced by France in Algeria, the United States in Vietnam, the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and Israel in Lebanon.". Indeed, in 1965, Undersecretary of State George Ball famously predicted that if the Johnson... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
How Many Divisions Is Diversity Worth? Nov 20, 2009
When challenged about his oppression of Catholics in the Soviet Union, Josef Stalin rhetorically asked, How many divisions does the Pope have. Stalin, murderous oppressor that he was, at least had the sense of realism to separate real combat power from the ephemeral. (Human Events Online)
Switzerland and the EUDefence Nov 20, 2009
Lenin was in Switzerland during the First World War and he made his fateful journey to establish the Soviet Union from his exile in Zurich. Within Switzerland, the 1848 constitution introduced far-reaching civil rights, giving citizens real influence in politics. (SwissInfo.org, Switzerland)
Looking history squarely in the eye Nov 20, 2009
Members of Project Kesher, a Jewish women s organization based in the former Soviet Union, painted over the graffiti wherever they found it. Facing history focuses on civic engagement. (Cleveland Jewish News, OH)
Learning to Live With Nuclear Iran Nov 20, 2009
The United States also accommodated Stalin when the Soviet Union shattered America's atomic and then nuclear monopoly. Gen. Chuck Wald, the retired European Command commander and a pilot in the Vietnam War, is the only recent four star who has openly advocated a joint U.S.-Israeli raid against Iran's nuclear sites if the ayatollahs don't come clean. (Newsmax)
10 comments Nov 19, 2009
Most Americans deemed Communism evil; the left ridiculed President Ronald Reagan for calling the Soviet Union an "evil empire" and often undermined the fight against the Communist world. So, too, the left is naive about Islamic terror and undermines the fight against it. (Human Events Online)
Ukraine famine Nov 19, 2009
Jones visited the Soviet Union three times between 1930 and 1933. His reports on Stalin's Five Year Plan and the general situation in the Soviet Union grew more and more critical ... Furthermore, many pro-Soviet Western intellectuals at the time, including the writer George Bernard Shaw, were vocal in their admiration of the Soviet Union. (BBC News -- Europe)
Nicholas Thompson examines dueling viewpoints to the Cold War Nov 19, 2009
For many Americans, the Cold War is a distant memory, along with the enmity between the United States and Soviet Union and the threat of nuclear annihilation that characterized the period ... He revisits many of the diplomatic battles over issues such as the Vietnam War and the arms control negotiations with the Soviet Union, through the prism of the careers of these two extraordinary men. (Boston Globe)
An E.U. Election Without Candidates (or a Vote) Nov 19, 2009
"The E.U. should stop working like the former Soviet Union ... in darkness and behind closed doors," she said. Indeed, the fact that there aren't many declared candidates for the jobs let alone debates also undermines the entire selection process. (Time.com)
Grains Council CEO looks back on three decades of service Nov 19, 2009
"Looking back, after the loss of Western Europe and the Soviet Union as the strongest markets for U.S. feed grains, market forces changed quickly, almost overnight," he said. "This created the opportunity for the rise of developing markets, creating an even larger demand for U.S. feed grains.". (Midwest Bulls Eye, NE)
West seeks new beginnings Nov 19, 2009
Concern has been expressed by Afghans and foreigners that the president's deals in the run-up to elections meant he had to reward too many, including commanders and political leaders still known as "the jihadis" for their involvement in the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. But Afghans are also making it clear it is not a one-way street. (BBC News -- South Asia)
W.Va.'s Senator Byrd soars to new heights Nov 19, 2009
"From the apex of the Cold War to the collapse -- the collapse! -- of the Soviet Union. From my opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act to my part in securing the funds for building the memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. From my support to the war in Vietnam to my opposition to President George W. Bush's war in Iraq.". He struggled when talking about his wife, Erma, who died in 2006. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
The Azerbaijan National Football Te... Nov 19, 2009
Results for Azerbaijan Since The Break up of the Soviet Union. Footballers from Azerbaijan played for the USSR side until the break-up of the Soviet Union. (Suite101.com)
Surplus and capital formation Nov 19, 2009
In contrast, the revolutionary path was exemplified by the confiscation and free distribution of land in the Soviet Union after 1917, and by the land reform in China after 1949. In this revolutionary approach, the egalitarian and free distribution of land to peasant households was thought of as the successful completion of an essentially capitalist task of doing away with feudal property, and as a transitional phase to the eventual establishment of production cooperatives and collectives, in... (Asia Times Online)
Russia still a threat, says Czech revolutionary Nov 19, 2009
THE dissident playwright who led Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution has used its 20-year anniversary to warn his country that Russia is still a threat despite the demise of the Soviet Union. Vaclav Havel, 73, who played a pivotal role in overcoming communist rule in 1989, said the Russian Government had mastered the art of manipulating its population while maintaining a facade of democracy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Perspective Of A Russian Immigrant (No. 3) Nov 19, 2009
This is the third article to appear on these pages from an IBD subscriber who lived in the Soviet Union until 1980. Whenever I speak about my experiences living in the USSR, my American friends respond that such things can never happen in a democracy like the United States. (Investors Business Daily)
Chinese diners eat live fish on YOUTUBE... Nov 19, 2009
" It's got more to do with the foolishness of some tourists. Ash Ketchum on November 18, 2009 at 08:05 PM Savagery! Plain and simple. I would boycott something to make them stop immediately Frank James on November 18, 2009 at 07:55 PM sometimes i can't make up my mind... sushi or fried fish? Thank you china for this dish so i don't have to make such a hard decision. half and half. yum. don't let the eyeballs go to waste. can i get an eggroll with that? i like fish on November 18, 2009 at 07:55... (The Drudge Report)
Click to read: Dave's High Flight Preparations Nov 18, 2009
In 1960, Dave said, the U-2 was front and center when CIA pilot Gary Powers was shot down in his U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union. And two years later, it was the U-2 that documented the images that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis. (CBS News -- Early Show)
EU seeks Russian energy boost Nov 18, 2009
President Medvedev has set the goal of cutting Russia's CO2 emissions by 2020 by 10-15% compared with its emissions in 1990, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Plant closures have sharply reduced Russian emissions since Soviet times. (BBC News -- Europe)
Facing Up To The Facts At Fort Hood Nov 18, 2009
Shortly after his arrest, the press began listing Oswald's extensive Communist associations and activities, including his defection to the Soviet Union in 1959, continuing membership in left-wing organizations after his return in 1962, establishment of a pro-Castro front group in New Orleans in 1963, and trip to Mexico City in September 1963 to visit the Cuban and Soviet embassies as part of an effort to travel to Cuba ... President Lyndon Johnson, for his part, was concerned that Oswald's... (CBS News -- Politics)
A Minority View: Excused Horrors Nov 18, 2009
Academics, media elites and leftist politicians both in the U.S. and Europe protested the actions and military buildup of President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and ultimately the breakup of the Soviet Union. Recall the leftist hissy fit when Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union the evil empire and predicted that communism would wind up on the trash heap of history. (Townhall.com)
National Geographic Hunt for the Sa... Nov 18, 2009
It is believed that the two submarines were intentionally sunk by the U.S. Navy to keep the technology from the Soviet Union. The National Geographic program Hunt for Samurai Subs is a fascinating look at the historic war weapons from World War II. The two advanced Japanese submarines were weapons of war bent on the destruction of the United States. (Suite101.com)
The Armenia National Football Team Nov 18, 2009
The Armenian Soccer Side Since the Break up of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a proliferation of new national sides began to play international football. (Suite101.com)
MHI Receives Order for GTCC Power Generation System for Cogeneration Power Plant in Uzbekistan Nov 18, 2009
Uzbekistan became an independent state after the breakup of the former Soviet Union in 1991. Thanks to successful market-oriented economic reforms, the country has maintained a high economic growth rate of 7-9% since 2004. (JCN Network, Japan)
Would Russia really use nuclear weapons against neighbors? Nov 18, 2009
Russia began to shift to reliance on nuclear weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the evaporation of its military alliance, the Warsaw Pact. As more and more Eastern European countries joined NATO over the past decade, and Russia's once-massive conventional forces dwindled and decayed, the Kremlin began to regard the nuclear option as the key guarantor of national security in a crisis. (Christian Science Monitor)
I Made a Stop-Motion Animation Movie. You Could Say It's Surrealistic. Nov 18, 2009
She explained that when she was a young art student in the Soviet Union, she couldn't get her hands on anything but black paint. As a result, she specializes in techniques using bold, black lines. (Slate)
Stalin's gift Nov 18, 2009
The public holiday marked Poland's assumption of independent statehood on 11 November 1918, following more than a century of partition by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany and, most recently, the former Soviet Union ... The Joseph Stalin Palace of Culture and Science was built between 1952 and 1955 as a "gift" from the Soviet Union, mirroring designs seen in Moscow and other cities. (BBC News -- Europe)
Gaming through a killers eyes Nov 18, 2009
From the first Call of Duty to the first Modern Warfare, players have dodged bullets on historic World War II battlefields, and theyve jumped into the heat of todays conflict zones from the Middle East to the former Soviet Union. And throughout these games, Infinity Ward has shown that in both the big bombastic battlefield moments it designs as well as in the small, personal moments, it knows how to leverage that first-person perspective in an exceptionally gripping manner. (MSNBC -- Technology)
1 in 7 Americans Went Hungry in 2008 Nov 17, 2009
The Soviet Union produced fields of one crop but, allowed their people to have their own gardens ... Are you actually comparing the American capitalist farm system that has feed the world to what you believe to be the success in how the Soviet Union handled things ... Yes I am making the comparison how the Soviet Union handled things. (CBS News)
Timeline: Chechnya Nov 17, 2009
1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union. Communist leader Doku Zavgayev overthrown; Dzhokhar Dudayev wins a presidential poll and proclaims Chechnya independent of Russia. (BBC News -- Europe)
Clear communication needed Nov 17, 2009
Over the past three decades since diplomatic relations were established in 1979, military ties between China and the United States have been particularly fragile, with "on-again, off-again" contact and exchanges, apart from the Cold War period during which they were driven closer by the common military threat from the erstwhile Soviet Union. The Taiwan question has posed challenges although they have managed to avoid a direct military confrontation. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
A Brief History of the Right to Self-Defense Nov 17, 2009
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun-control. From 1929 to 1953, about 20-million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. (Human Events Online)
Local church seeks help to fill shoeboxes with Christmas gifts, necessities for Third World countries Nov 17, 2009
Turns out, 18-year-old Marita, who lives in a war-torn area of the former Soviet Union, has been carrying around the picture and note that came in her Operation Christmas Child box for 10 years. "That shows the impact of just one box," said the sophomore at Madison Central High School, who with his family packs holiday boxes every year. (The Clarion-Ledger)
EU leaders asked to pick a woman Nov 17, 2009
Known as the Iron Lady, she has attacked EU leaders for taking decisions behind closed doors and working, as she put it, like the Soviet Union. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Europe)
Gorbachev to Obama: Afghan Neighbors Must Help Nov 17, 2009
Did Mikhail Gorbachev launch glasnost and perestroika in the mid-1980s with the aim of bringing about genuine democratic change in the Soviet Union ... Did that mean the fall of the Berlin Wall had become inevitable after the March 1989 elections in the Soviet Union ... Asked when the Cold War actually ended in his mind when the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989 or when Germany was reunified in 1990-91, or when the Soviet Union itself broke up in December 1991 Gorbachev gave the nod to... (Newsmax)
Communism: 'Live it' next summer Nov 17, 2009
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for about 20 students to tour the former Soviet Union and learn about the rise and fall of communism from former CNN correspondent Charles Bierbauer, dean of the College of Mass Communication and Information Studies ... Gordon Smith, director of Walker Institute of International and Area Studies and University expert on the Soviet Union and Russia in particular, will be attending as well. (Gamecock Online, SC)
Mao's legacy lives on Nov 17, 2009
Thus in 1921, Sun turned to the new Soviet Union and communism, the only anti-imperialist force ... The Comintern sent Soviet advisers such as Mikhail Borodin to China to aid in the reorganization and consolidation of the KMT along the lines of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ... Sun had lost faith in the will of the Western imperialist powers to cooperate with China's anti-imperialism aims and leaned more and more toward the Soviet Union for support. (Asia Times Online)
LETTER: Country is 'progressing' to a political monopoly Nov 16, 2009
Their non-critical acquiescence of pork projects will thus be praised as patriotic much as the party leaders of the former Soviet Union praised the equally miserable Soviet citizens for their patriotic sacrifices to the gods of the Marxist State the Politburo elite. We will have progressed beyond the need to rely on a mythological god, much less an anachronistic founding Constitution, when the Messiah sits on the One-World-Government throne for which the American presidency has evidently become... (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Earl Coleman, 93; founded translation firm Nov 16, 2009
He then turned to the Soviet Union as a source of material ... He signed a royalty agreement with the Soviet government s copyright agency, the first such large-scale agreement between a Western company and the Soviet Union and the foundation of his success. (Boston Globe)
BADEA DG arrives CongoUNAMID worried over harassment of peacekeepers in Darfur2010 WC/CAN: Benin names 18-man squad against SudanBADEA DG visits Burundi IMO pledges support to avert piracy off Somali coastSomalian prime minister to visit BrusselsLibya, Somalia review cooperationBurundi sets conditions for keeping soldiers in Somalia World Club: TP Mazembe starts against Pohang SteelersNigerian club fails in bid to lift African champions league titleKenya Airways launches flights to Kisangani, DRCIndia grants US$263 million to DR Congo Ivorian Prime Minister urges mutinous soldiers to remain calmGbagbo: "Whoever delays Ivorian elections is a criminal"Gbagbo reaffirms his desire for Ivorian peaceGbagbo signs Ivorian amnesty law ON THE WIRE FIFA U-17 WC: Nigeria media lament lossLagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The disappointment of Nigerian fans with the country's 1-0 loss to Switzerland in the final of the FIFA Under-17 World Cupin Nigeria's capital city of Abuja was driven home Monday by local newspapers. 16/11/2009 Full Text... Nov 16, 2009
89) and Soviet Union (Canada. 87) were all achieved away from home as hosts. (Panapress.com)
The Churches and Cathedrals of Riga... Nov 16, 2009
This museum catalogues Latvia s occupation by the Nazis (1941 1944) and Soviet Union (1940 1941 and 1944 1989). There is a similar , Estonia. (Suite101.com)
* SOUTH AFRICA 2010 : France win to move closer to World Cup place Nov 16, 2009
Striker Bilyaletdinov scored on either side of half-time and put the Russians in control over Slovenia in Moscow and in sight of their 10th World Cup finals appearance, including those made by the Soviet Union. But Pecniks late header gave the visitors real hopes of salvaging the tie in Maribor on Wednesday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Kurdish Defendants Find Support in Town's Clasp Nov 16, 2009
It is a place whose population of 40,000 has been transformed in recent years by the Kurds, refugees from the former Soviet Union and a steady stream of Latin American migrant workers. Qambari quickly found work and saved money to bring his wife and children. (Yahoo News -- Kurdish Issues)
Can Obama Get Around China's 'Great Firewall'? Nov 16, 2009
In 1984 when President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Beijing, state-run China Central Television cut portions that referred to the Soviet Union, religion and democracy. During Obama's inaugural speech in January, China's state television cut away when the president referred to previous American generations that had faced down communism. (Time.com)
'The Lacuna,' by Barbara Kingsolver Nov 16, 2009
"You want to hear [the House Un-American Activities Committee's] criteria? Any one of the following is sufficient. ... [Refusal] to condemn the Soviet Union. ... [A]ccolades from the Communist Press. Or ... an anti-American bias, despite professions of love for America.". "So. If you love America, but you hate the segregation laws ...". (San Francisco Chronicle)
Lobby Fodder Nov 16, 2009
At their respective heights, the British Empire and the Soviet Union ran large and powerful spy networks in the United States. But they were real powers. (The American Conservative)
Russian, U.S. vow to renew START by year end Nov 16, 2009
Since the 1980s, the United States and Russia (and its predecessor, the Soviet Union) have held rounds of talks and negotiations on strategic disarmament and have signed several treaties. In July 1991, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, or START I, which barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads atop a total of 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic... (Xinhuanet, China)
President Obama: The Passionless Monotone in Chief Nov 16, 2009
Worse still, he failed even to utter the words communism, or the Soviet Union, or Russia. A major moment arrives, the president speaks, and he whiffs entirely. (Townhall.com)
Read the story Nov 16, 2009
"Naturally, we can't forget that the fall of the wall was prepared by what happened in the Soviet Union. These changes brought advantages to all of Europe ...The Iron Curtain was overcome and the barriers were overcome." - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. "The wall was an edifice of fear. On Nov. 9, 20 years ago, it became a place of joy. For 28 years, East Germans could not even approach it. On Nov. 9, 1989, people danced on it - and the world looked different afterward" - German President... (CBS News -- Evening News)
106 Comments Nov 15, 2009
Merkel, who grew up in East Germany and was one of thousands to cross that night, recalled that "before the joy of freedom came, many people suffered." She lauded Gorbachev, with whom she shared an umbrella amid a crush of hundreds, eager for a glimpse of the man many still consider a hero for his role in pushing reform in the Soviet Union. "We always knew that something had to happen there so that more could change here," she said. (PNN Online)
Sinking dollar overwhelms central banks in Brazil, Korea and Russia Nov 15, 2009
5 percent of exports to countries outside the former Soviet Union and the Baltic states in the first nine months, according the Federal Customs Service. "There are changes in the underlying factors that call for a more appreciated exchange rate," Odd Per Brekk, the Washington-based IMF's senior representative in Russia, told reporters. (Business Report, South Africa)
* Ex-PLA chief downplays threat Nov 15, 2009
Taking the example of a peace agreement signed between Germany and the Soviet Union, Shuai said they resumed fire one day after the accord was signed. To rely on the peace agreement is to simplify the problem, he said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
New Zealand claims first World Cup berth since 1982 Nov 15, 2009
New Zealand went 0-3 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, getting outscored 12-2 by Scotland, the Soviet Union and Brazil. Fallon, who played for an England youth national team, headed Leo Bertos' corner kick past goalkeeper Sayed Jafaar, who had saved his header moments earlier. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- Soccer)
Life After the White House Nov 15, 2009
And he was jailed as a dissident in Czechoslovakia and then finally became president of the Czech Republic after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. So that is going to be very interesting. (Fox News)
Did we learn the wrong lessons from the fall of the Berlin Wall? Nov 15, 2009
In Eastern Europe, he argues, If that had been done early in the process, in August or September, had the Soviet Union given a green light for it, it certainly would have worked ... James Sheehan of Stanford argues that Gorbachev fell in love with the idea that the Soviet Union might find a place, culturally and economically, in the steadily integrating community of Western European nations, and therefore had little interest in playing the role of Eastern Europe s brute enforcer ... The second... (Boston Globe)
This day in history Nov 15, 2009
In 1988, the Soviet Union launched its first space shuttle, Buran, on its only flight, which carried no crew. In 1999, the Clinton administration claimed victory in a seven-year struggle to persuade Congress to pay nearly $1 billion in back dues to the United Nations. (Boston Globe)
Art.view: Dollars, cents and sensibility Nov 15, 2009
Many assume that Russians have made the Doig market, but Mr Outred asserts that the four main contestants for the work included an American, an Asian and a European (which could include those from the former Soviet Union). It's rare to see artists at an auction, but Mr Doig was seated with the consignor of the painting, which suggests that Mr Reyes might have offered a cut of the proceeds to the artist. (The Economist)
Country profile: Ethiopia Nov 15, 2009
From the 1960s British influence gave way to that of the US, which in turn was supplanted by the Soviet Union. AT-A-GLANCE. (BBC News -- Africa)
