Category: International Relations
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The Dark Web of Russian Influence: How Moscow Manipulates America’s Right-Wing Politics
Midday/Early Afternoon, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, Miami, Florida For my esteemed friend Jenny: The Russian Influence on American Right-Wing Politics Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about how Russia is influencing American politics, especially on the right. Using their GRU intelligence service and the Internet Research Agency (IRA), they’ve managed to tangle up a…
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A Quick (or Perhaps Not-So-Quick?) Thought on the American Right’s Pro-Russia Stance
Although most, and I emphasize most, Republicans in and out of Congress do not like or trust Russia and condemn Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the MAGA wing of the GOP opposes Western (particularly American) assistance to that embattled Eastern European nation. Even as the war in Ukraine continues over a year since the autocratic…
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On Books & Reading: An Oral History of 9/11, and Observations About ‘The Third World War’ Duology
The Growing TBR Stack My copy of Garrett M. Graff’s The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 arrived yesterday at 4:56 PM. I retrieved it from our front porch where the Amazon Prime driver had dropped it off, and within a few minutes I had taken it out of its shipping…
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On the War in Ukraine: Russian Cruiser ‘Moskva’ Sinks, Moscow and Kyiv Have Conflicting Narratives About the Incident
Putin’s War Suffers Setbacks As you probably know, Russia’s war in Ukraine – a blatant act of naked aggression that Vladimir Putin’s government euphemistically calls a “special military operation – is not going well for Moscow or the much-vaunted Russian military. Instead of a 21st Century blitzkrieg and a quick victory culminating in Russia’s capture…
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Focus on International Relations: On Russia’s Alleged Motives for Its ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine
Russia Claims NATO is to Blame for Ukraine War On Thursday, February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded its neighbor to the west, Ukraine from positions in Russia, Belarus, and parts of eastern Ukraine – including the Donbas, Luhansk, and the annexed-by-Russia Crimean Peninsula. The result: the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945, which has…
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Musings & Thoughts for Wednesday, March 2, 2022, or: Biden Speaks, Ukraine Resists, and Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Streams
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s midday/early afternoon in Lithia, Florida, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. It is a warm Florida spring day (meteorological spring began yesterday) in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 74˚F (23˚C) under sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the north-northeast at 9 MPH (14 KM/H) and humidity at…
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Focus on the News: Ukraine Defies Russian Invasion with Blood and Guts
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning in Lithia, Florida, on Sunday, February 27, 2022. It is a warm Florida winter day in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 78˚F (26˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 64% and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 4 MPH (6 KM/H), the heat index…
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On the Ukraine-Russia War of 2022: My Feelings About the Conflict, Plus a Bonus ‘Open Message’ to Trump Supporters
Hi, there. It’s early afternoon here in Lithia, Florida, on Saturday, February 26, 2022. From what I can discern from my window, it seems to be a nice “Florida winter” day – the sun is shining, it’s warm and a bit muggy outside, and there’s no rain in the forecast. I don’t want to write…
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Focus on World News: As Russia Invades Ukraine, U.S. Right-Wing Figures Blame Biden, ‘Stolen Election’
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning in Lithia, Florida, on Thursday, February 24, 2022. It is a warm Florida winter day in the Tampa Bay area, but I’m afraid it’s going to be hotter. Presently, the temperature is 78˚F (26˚C) under sunny conditions. With humidity at 68% and the wind blowing from the southeast…
A Certain Point of View, Too 