This piece discusses some of the issues raised in a previous letter by Professor Oksana Bihun. For the sake of clarity, the structure of this piece will mirror that of Dr. Bihun’s. I will preface my responses with a ‘thank you’ to Dr. Bihun for raising questions and creating discussion. That being said, I disagree…
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin cannot catch a break. What does a Russian President need to do in order to recreate the Georgian Invasion of 2008 in Ukraine today? With the Georgian offensive, NATO and the EU expressed scorn but remained largely frozen in response. No sanctions, or foreign aid, AND Russia largely…
For Ukraine, the crisis has no end in sight. Yet again, Russian tanks and troops entered Ukraine with bourgeoning numbers on the border. Coupled with countless incursions into sovereign territory, Russia seems hell-bent on sabre rattling with every Western power. Naturally, the G20 meeting greeted Putin with condemnation and demands to leave Ukraine. Of course,…
Speaking on the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin wall, Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned: “Failure to achieve security in Europe would make the continent irrelevant in world affairs…The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it’s already begun.” Though growing anxieties over…
As I write, the joys of election cycle 2014 draw to a close. Many predict that the Republican Party will gain control of the Senate; but we’ll have to wait and see. Beyond this election, I have serious doubts and worries about the coming nature of politics. Even today, many pundits have no idea what…
On Tuesday, October 21, the Supreme Court upheld the previously struck down Texan voter identification law. The 2011 law requires people voting to present photo identification in order to vote with varying types of identification like gun licenses, military Identification, or passports being acceptable. To date, thirty-one states require some form of identification, several require…
Weeks away from the midterm elections, campaigns are working overtime trying to convince voters; and republicans are trying simultaneously to pin and denounce Obama. Most notably, Kentucky Democratic Candidate Alison Grimes had a commercial saying: “I am not Barack Obama.” Historically, midterms are less successful for the party in the white house, but one cannot…
Less than a month after agreeing to a cease-fire; Ukraine is once again a hotbed of violence. In recent days separatist insurgents have killed aid workers, civilians, and Ukrainian service personnel. Yesterday separatists attacked the Donetsk airport in hopes of controlling the central transportation hub; killing 12 Ukrainian soldiers in the process. With each subsequent…
Seemingly hour by hour, news regarding Ebola stricken countries gets worse. There is no doubt that the international community is losing the fight to contain and eliminate ebola. And not by a small margin; across the board, data points to a conclusive failure. To date, 3,000 people have died, and now World Health Organization members…
Speaking to troops in Tampa, FL; President Obama emphasized: “I want to be clear. The American forces that have been deployed to Iraq do not and will not have a combat mission.” With growing international pressure and mounting Congressional demands for a cogent strategy toward the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the Obama administration…