Russian Trains: Not for the Faint-Hearted
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posted by zaina19 on May, 2005 as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/7/2005 3:14 AM </NOINDEX>Photo: CI Photo: CI Russian Trains: Not for the Faint-Hearted Created: 04.05.2005 11:27 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 12:10 MSK > document.write(get_ago(1115194255)); </SCRIPT> Polina Moroz MosNews For most Americans, trains are now either a chic commuter alternative or an overpriced sight-seeing adventure. Russia, with its eleven time zones and the infamous peril of bad roads, is different, and trains are still the most common way to move around. However, the cheaper train options in Russia can unexpectedly transform your journey into a surreal world of gypsies, illegal immigrants, and porters that barter herring and live parrots. When I was studying in France a year ago, one of my professors, upon learning of my Russian origins, raved endlessly about the beautiful stretches of land across Siberia and the mind-blowing Trans-Siberian journey that he took. Twice. I raised an eyebrow — ten days on a Russian train? He must be kidding. Foggy childhood memories of sweating through the Moscow-Baku itinerary on the way to my grandma’s ... >> full
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Putin should defuse the Chechnya time-bomb
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/15/2005 4:29 AM 13.05.2005 Putin should defuse the Chechnya time-bomb In their talks in Moscow with Vladimir Putin during Monday’s 60th anniversary celebration of the Nazi defeat, George W. Bush, the US president, and his western colleagues avoided an issue Mr Putin is disturbingly loath to address — Russia’s war in Chechnya. Chechnya is a small place far from Moscow, and the visitors presumably had other matters on their minds, particularly Russia’s creeping authoritarianism and its harassment of its neighbours. Yet the Chechnya war has contributed much to the erosion of Russia’s democracy and Mr Putin is nowhere near either a military victory or a political solution. The Kremlin would have us believe otherwise. On March 8 Russian troops killed Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, and Mr Putin hailed the event as a milestone on the road to victory. In fact, Maskhadov’s death will make ending the war much harder. Many Russians believe that Kremlin hardliners disposed of Maskhadov to torpedo a chance for ... >> full
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Russia must be helped to be a ’normal democracy’
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/15/2005 4:36 AM 11.05.2005 Russia must be helped to be a ’normal democracy’ Vladimir Putin’s recent remark that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was «the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century» reminds us that Russia is not just another country in transition from the communist past. For many Russians, including the former secret policeman who is their president, the loss of their empire, their state and their ideology remains a source of resentment. Yet Russia will only be a normal country when its people welcome their freedom rather than regret their power. The greatest catastrophe of the 20th century was not, in fact, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but its creation. The Soviet party-state was the organisational model and negative inspiration for Hitler’s National Socialism. The heroism of the people of the Soviet Union destroyed that vile regime. For that, humanity must remain eternally grateful. But we must also recognise that the psychopath who controlled the Soviet state made that war ... >> full
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An Appeal for International Support for Peace
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Prev Discussion Next Discussion Send Replies to My Inbox Reply Recommend Message 1 of 1 in Discussion From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/16/2005 6:52 AM 16.05.2005 An Appeal for International Support for Peace In the aftermath of the May 9th Victory Day celebrations in Russia and the May 10th Russia-EU summit, the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC) calls upon the leadership of the separatist Chechen government to take steps toward peace, even in the absence of a reciprocal effort by the Russian Federation, and reaffirm its commitment to a political solution. The March 8th killing of former Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov confirmed that the Russian side is unwilling to change the status quo in Chechnya, but rather unequivocally committed to forestalling a peace process, particularly that initiated by the Russian Soldiers’ Mothers Committee earlier this year. ACPC Co-Chairman Zbigniew Brzezinski commented, «In the wake of the death of Aslan Maskhadov, President Sadulaev has been offered the opportunity to continue his predecessor’s work of ... >> full
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Stuck Between Karimov and Radical Islam
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posted by zaina19 on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 5/17/2005 1:51 AM Stuck Between Karimov and Radical Islam Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Editorial The events in eastern Uzbekistan raise a tangled knot of questions for Russia and the United States -- as the main international players in Central Asia -- about the war on terror, the role of Islam and the balance between a concern for human rights and a desire for stability. But two things are clear. One, after the unrest and slaughter in the Fergana Valley city of Andijan last week, Uzbekistan is on the brink of widespread political instability that could threaten the entire region. The bloody crackdown, in which hundreds died while thousands fled the country, likely signals the beginning of a cycle of violence. People are desperate after years of economic mismanagement and state terror, and President Islam Karimov vows to give them no quarter, attributing the downfall of Askar Akayev to the Kyrgyz president's own weakness. Two, unlike his fallen counterparts in the CIS, Karimov is unlikely to face ... >> full
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