Author: M Barbu

The War’s Impact On Russia’s Economy And Ukrainian Politics

Moscow grossly underestimated the economic costs of launching its war in Ukraine. Lulled by the limited sanctions that greeted its invasions of Crimea and Donbas in 2014, and a false sense of security provided by its hundreds of billions of dollars in reserves, President Vladimir Putin appears to have believed that he could ride out any sanctions that a divided West could muster. He seems not to have understood the shock wave that a full invasion of a European state would produce in the West and the massive unity of the European Union’s economic response. He did not anticipate Germany’s about-face in its relations with Russia or the sudden attractiveness of NATO membership to Finland and Sweden. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appears to be a catastrophic blunder by Putin, one that puts Russia and his regime in great peril.

Merrily at Work: Clash of Civilizations

Avail Practical Classes Free-of-Cost

In 1993 an essay appeared in a US journal: “Clash of Civilisations” by Samuel Huntington which later appeared as a book [The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington]. In the very first chapter we find: “One grim Weltanschauung [“philosophy (of life)”] for this new era was well expressed by the Venetian nationalist demagogue in Michael Dibdin’s novel, Dead Lagoon: “There can be no true friends without true enemies. Unless we hate what we are not, we cannot love what we are. These are the old truths we are painfully rediscovering after a century and more of sentimental cant. Those who deny them deny their family, their heritage, their culture, their birth right, their very selves! They will not lightly be forgiven.” The unfortunate truth in these old truths cannot be ignored by statesmen and scholars. For peoples seeking identity and reinventing ethnicity, enemies are essential, and the potentially most dangerous enmities occur across the fault lines between the world’s major civilizations.” [Italics ours.]

Marxism and Anarchism

Recently Arun Kumar Sinha posted in Marx_Forum, Murray Bookchin’s pamphlet ‘Listen! Marxist!’ This was published in the ’50s in which he admonished and rebuked the ‘Marxists’ community.

The threat of large-scale famine

Disasters threaten human civilization

Among the greatest dangers to human civilization are nuclear war and catastrophic climate change, dangers which also threaten the biosphere. In addition to these two existential threats, humans also face the threat of an extremely large-scale famine, involving billions of people, rather than millions. The beginning of this famine, which could involve much of the world’s population by 2050, can already be seen.

As Europe withdraws from Mali, Russia gets the upper hand

When Mali’s government saw Tuareg separatists and jihadists storming from the north toward the capital Bamako in 2012, it turned to France—a former colonial power—for help. Operation Serval stopped the advance and was later transformed into a regional counterterrorism operation, dubbed Barkhane. France was gradually joined by other European countries, and the Sahel region had come to host the largest deployment of European forces abroad—with around eight thousand troops.

Engagement Reframed #7: Defending democracy and countering China requires US and Western support for a beleaguered developing world

The war in Ukraine has become a turning point for developing countries, many of whom could give up the gains made in economic growth and reduction in poverty over the past three decades.

A growing number of developing nations are vulnerable to political instability caused by debt crises, as is shown by Sri Lanka’s current plight. US and Western leadership in reforming the international financial system is needed to avoid the developing world becoming more dependent on China.

Tank Turret-Popping PARM2 Mines Arrive in Ukraine from Germany

Much has been said about Ukraine’s lethal set of western-donated anti-armor and anti-tank weapons that have been helping them take out Russian tanks left and right since the start of the war. However, there is another anti-tank weapon that the Ukrainian forces have used to bust Russian tanks up to smithereens, the German DM22 PARM2 mine.

Sweden will send Robot 17 Anti-Ship Missiles to Ukraine

Amidst their own NATO membership application, Sweden has announced that they will be arming Ukraine once more with Robot 17 anti-ship missile systems in another move that is evidence of their shift from a neutral country to leaning more towards the West. More so, the Ukrainians will be obtaining more from Sweden as part of the country’s new $102 million military and economic support package.

Ziđin tuži zbog poreza kako bi jeftinije dolazio do zemljišta

Ziđin već godinama pokušava da zemlju koja im je potrebna za širenje njihovih rudnika plati manje nego što je to procenila Poreska uprava. Novi korak u toj borbi su tužbe koje je ova kompanija podnela, otkriva CINS.

U selu Krivelj kod Bora, na mestu gde se nekada nalazila šuma Pere Stanimirovića, sada je rudnik Novo Cerovo kineske kompanije Ziđin (Serbia Zijin Copper). Njemu su oduzeli imanje u procesu eksproprijacije, a da on za to nije ni znao.

Lebanese Politicians Sued in the US for Kidnap and Torture

A U.S. court has asked Lebanon’s judiciary to serve legal papers against two top Lebanese politicians seeking to compel their response to accusations they orchestrated the kidnap and torture of a Lebanese-American couple.

Elie Samaha, a U.S.-Lebanese citizen, and his wife Lara Samaha, who holds a U.S. green card, are suing the Lebanese politicians and eight others, including three family members, judges and lawyers in connection with a family dispute over land and money they claim was stolen from them.