As the debate on Ukraine proceeds in the Commons, I’m once again delighted to discover so much expertise which was hitherto wasted. Having spoken to Ukrainians protesting outside Downing Street about 10 days ago, I’m grateful that the House of Commons Library has produced this briefing: Ukraine, Crimea and Russia (PDF, […]
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Spy chiefs fear Chinese cyber attack – Times Online
INTELLIGENCE chiefs have warned that China may have gained the capability to shut down Britain by crippling its telecoms and utilities. They have told ministers of their fears that equipment installed by Huawei, the Chinese telecoms giant, in BT’s new communications network could be used to halt critical services such […]
Read MoreThe New Cold War, Edward Lucas
A fascinating book by The Economist‘s Central and East European correspondent, Edward Lucas: First a medieval fortress and then the citadel of Soviet totalitarianism, the Kremlin’s rose-red walls have rarely made lovers of liberty and justice feel at home. It is as if Britain’s government were based in the Tower […]
Read MoreGas supplies to Europe dry up as row between Russia and Ukraine deepens – Times Online
Gas supplies from Russia to Europe plummeted overnight with four countries reporting a complete halt as the dispute between Moscow and Ukraine over payment rates dramatically worsened. Kiev said that Gazprom, the Russian state gas company, had cut the flow by 60 per cent following Vladimir Putin’s threat yesterday to […]
Read MoreBack to the USSR
From the Guardian: Tanks rolling into neighbouring countries, the media back under state control and Kremlin policy shrouded in secrecy … Luke Harding reports on why Russia seems hellbent on reverting to its Soviet past. … “The Soviet Union had global ambitions. It believed in socialism and social justice. Now […]
Read MoreIn Hard Times, Russia Moves In to Reclaim Private Industries — NY Times
Mr. Putin, the former president and current prime minister, has long maintained that Russia made a colossal error in the 1990s by allowing its enormous reserves of oil, gas and other natural resources to fall into private hands. He has acted uncompromisingly — most notably in the case of the […]
Read MoreRussian wheat as a foreign policy tool
Today’s Telegraph reports: The largest wheat harvest in 15 years is expected to yield 51 million tons, of which a record-breaking 15 million are earmarked for export. Only the US and Canada are expected to export more. Growing influence in the Middle East and more collaboration in the energy sector, […]
Read MoreTelegraph: “Russian Foreign Minister’s ‘F-word’ Tirade at Miliband”
The unhappy state of diplomacy in the hands of New Labour: David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, was subjected to a tirade of four-letter abuse when he spoke to his Russian counterpart over the country’s invasion of Georgia. One unconfirmed report suggested that Mr Lavrov said: “Who are you to f—— […]
Read MoreThe Russian Social Democrats
It was not without reason that the Russian Social Democrats, better known to history as the Bolsheviks, decided in November 1917 to call themselves “Communists”. And so “The Black Book of Communism” is proving an interesting read: But socialist revolution for Marx was not just a matter of economic development; […]
Read MoreConstitutions and democracy
Mark Mardell points out that the French are changing their constitution to avoid a referendum: The French politicians from both houses were meeting to change the constitution so they could go ahead with the adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon. I do wonder at the imperative among Europe’s political elite […]
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