Kleptocracy Daily: August 16, 2017
News Paul Manafort partnered on an $850 million New York real-estate deal with an ally of Vladimir Putin and a Ukrainian moneyman whom the Justice Department recently described as an “organized-crime member.” Russia says it’s against further tightening sanctions on North Korea, warning that economic pressure on Pyongyang has reached its...
What We Talk About When We Talk About North Korea
By Allison Fedirka “We don’t know” may seem like an unacceptable phrase for an organization such as ours. But it’s a phrase that’s uttered in our virtual hallways more than you might think. For us, it’s not so much a matter of always having the “right” answer but of having the correct model, based on the available...
The Challenge Ahead in Eastern Ukraine
Bloody fighting between government troops and pro-Kremlin separatists and Russian regulars has continued for three years in Ukraine’s east. Meanwhile, an equally fierce battle is being waged for the hearts and minds of civilians on the Ukrainian side, many of whose loyalties hover between Kyiv and Moscow. …read more Source: Kharkiv...
Watch List: Aug. 15, 2017
The items listed below represent potential emerging issues that our analysts are tracking. These can be long term or short term, but will be updated daily. If an item on our Watch List becomes critical, we will email you a full analysis explaining its significance. Each Saturday, we will follow up our daily Watch List for each week with our...
Russia accuses Ukraine of Trying to Sabotage Crimean Electricity with a Handsaw
The FSB have seized another Ukrainian in Russian-occupied Crimea and claimed that he was carrying out acts of sabotage for the SBU, Ukraine’s Security Service. …read more Source: Kharkiv Human Rights Protection...
August 15th, 2017
CHINA Hong Kong Police Arrest Activist Over Abduction ClaimBBC A democracy activist in Hong Kong who claimed he was abducted and tortured by mainland Chinese agents has been arrested by police. Authorities are accusing Howard Lam of providing misleading information. Mr. Lam claimed last week he was abducted because of his efforts to get in touch...
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Moves from Frozen to Kinetic
The war in Ukraine stands as a pressing test of Western commitment and resolve towards European security. But another security threat is emerging, with a real risk of rapid escalation. This new threat, emanating from the Nagorno-Karabakh region, pits Armenia and the Armenian-populated Karabakh against Azerbaijan. Long regarded as one of several...
Iran and North Korea: Brothers in Nuclear Arms
Editor’s note: On Aug. 14, nearly two months after the original publication of this Deep Dive, reports surfaced that North Korea received Soviet-era technology from a facility in Ukraine that expedited the construction of its intercontinental ballistic missiles. As we determine the veracity of the reports, we republish our own assessment of...
Russia’s youngest Ukrainian prisoner sentenced to 8 years, a political prisoner to 10 years for writing to him
While 19-year-old Artur Panov does not deny at least some of the charges, he was just 16 when arrested and there are grounds for doubting the seriousness of the grandiose plans he appears to have discussed. 35-year-old Maxim Smyshlyaev, who received a 10-year sentence, has long been recognized as a political prisoner by the renowned Memorial...
Environmental Sustainability And Social Justice Requires Democratic Food Systems
There is a strong sense of déjà vu in the late Northern summer of 2012. The worst droughts in living memory have devastated corn and soybean crops in the United States and Canada; and extreme heat is damaging wheat yields in the breadbaskets of Russia and Ukraine. With increasing volumes of grain diverted to meet …read more Source: Centre...
