Uncommon Knowledge: Part 1: Stephen Kotkin on Stalin’s Rise to Power
Recorded on July 29, 2015 Part 1: Stalin was born in a small town in Georgia in which he was educated to become a priest. After succeeding in school and becoming a devout follower of the faith, Stalin left the priesthood and became a communist revolutionary. World War I and the revolutions of 1917 set the stage for Stalin and the Communists to take power in Russia.
George Magnus: Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy
Under President Xi Jinping, China has become a large and confident power both at home and abroad, but the country also faces serious challenges including debt, "the middle income trap," the renminbi, and an aging population. In Red Flags, George Magnus argues that Xi's authoritarian and repressive philosophy is ultimately not compatible with the country's economic aspirations. How do the political challenges at home and abroad threaten China's continued rise? Can Xi Jinping, who may be president-for-life, be open to reform? George Magnus is an associate at the China Centre at Oxford Univers...
In a fiery warning to rivals, Putin says any country that nukes Russia will 'drop dead'
Boasting that Russia's nuclear arsenal has already surpassed its competitors, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a fire and brimstone warning to his nuclear rivals Thursday.
US, Russia Nuclear War Possible? Russian Media Threatens ‘Preemptive Strike’
An outbreak of hysterical war-cry dominates the Russian media after the decision of the Union States to withdraw from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The media warns of a unilateral strike against the U.S if Russia is threatened.
The Thucydides Trap: How to stop the looming war between China and the U.S.
The Thucydides Trap leads us to believe a U.S.-China war is inevitable. But is a 2,400-year-old school of thought really what the U.S. should base its foreign policy on?
The Russians Are Coming by Mitchell A. Orenstein - Project Syndicate
Though leading experts agree that Russia and the West are locked in a new cold war that is both similar and distinct from the original, opinions differ when it comes to assigning blame and assessing the stakes. To answer those questions, one first must define the conflict accurately.
Russia running ‘global campaign’ of cyber warfare to target governments, Je
Russia has been engaged in a systematic and malicious “global campaign” of cyber warfare targeting critical national infrastructure with Britain providing help to allied states to counter the threat,
Op-Ed: There’s a bigger Russian threat than meddling. Vladimir Putin is acting like he wants war
President Vladimir Putin is never happier or more animated than when he describes Russia’s nuclear hardware, aimed at the United States and invulnerable to U.S. missile defense.
Are America and the West headed toward collapse? New study finds startling
By Jon Dougherty Predictions of America's doom and gloom ahead are nothing new, as it's always easier for us to see the glass as half-empty rather than half-full. So it's not surprising that a new study has made a similar 'prediction.' But unlike many past analyses, a new look at an old study by historian…
Apocalypse in 2019: Is Russia-US war possible? — RT Op-ed
Nearly half of US military troops believe America will be drawn into a major war next year and see Moscow and Beijing as main threats, according to a recent poll. But is there any basis for this anxiety among soldiers?
World War 3: Putin is more dangerous than Stalin or Khrushchev | World | Ne
Vladimir Putin is “potentially more dangerous” to the West than an enraged, unstable Stalin in his final months of life or a nuclear-brandishing Khrushchev during the Cuban crisis, according to a leading Russian commentator. Respected political analyst Andrey Piontkovsky gives a deeply alarming view of a lurch towards a new world war.
China warns of more action after military drills near Taiwan
A series of Chinese drills near Taiwan were designed to send a clear message to the island and China will take further steps if Taiwan independence forces persist in doing as they please, Beijing said...
Russia's new nuclear warplane will fly soon and that's "good news" for Putin
"Everything is fine, just perfect. I congratulate the aircraft builders and I think we will deliver good news to the defense ministry," Putin said of the new TU-160M2.
Russia Pours More Military Hardware Into ‘Fortress Crimea’
According to the chief of the General Staff of Russia, Valery Gerasimov, in the last five years Russia has profoundly increased its military presence in key regions of the world, in some areas “reaching the level of the Soviet Union” (Vpk.name, November 9). Speaking on November 7, Russia’s top-ranking military official devoted significant attention to Crimea, which Moscow had forcibly …
UK can't protect itself from attack by Russia or China | Daily Mail Online
General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command, said the UK has not carried out a full assessment of military needs since the end of the Cold War.
Troisi: Is Cold War-era 'duck and cover' reality of the future?
While the consequences of the "bomb" part of a nuclear warhead are well-known - intense fireball, heat, infrastructure damage - generations born after the Cold War may not understand the devastating effects radiation has on human health for those not killed in the initial blast. According to the Mayo Clinic, radiation sickness is damage to your body caused by a large dose of radiation over a short period of time. (It's important to note that routine exposures to very small amounts of radiation, such as in an X-ray or CT scan, doesn't cause radiation sickness.) Some symptoms happen immediate...