GeoPolitical Futures title: China and Russia By: George Friedman Date: 28 February 2023 “There has been a great deal of discussion about Chinese military aid to Russia. The United States warned Beijing against sending such aid, and Beijing responded by saying these continued reckless accusations would have consequences. The specter of a Chinese-Russian alliance...
Ukraine
What Happens If Ukraine Falls? (GPF)
26 Feb, 2023
GeoPolitical Futures title: What Happens If Ukraine Falls? By: George Friedman Date: 17 February 2023 "I recently wrote about Russian preparations for a major offensive in Ukraine: a pincer movement that would close Ukrainian forces in from the north and the south. There is now general discussion of such a move by Russia in the next months, albeit configured in many...
How long can this go on?
24 Feb, 2023
Today, it's a year ago that Russia invaded Ukraine. It was supposed to be a (very) quick victory; in weeks rather than months. Russia even expected the Ukrainian population to welcome their soldiers. Today, about 97% of the Russian army is in Ukraine and is still struggling to advance (eg, BBC, WSJ). I'm not impartial. I don't even believe in neutrality in this...
Russia’s energy weapon weakens (Axios)
19 Feb, 2023
Axios Markets title: Russia's energy weapon weakens By: Matt Phillips Date: 13 February 2023 "Markets mostly shrugged off Russia's threat to curb crude production in response to Western sanctions, Matt writes. Why it matters: It shows that President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine has left Russia with less leverage against the West than he...
Does crime fiction reflect reality?
15 Feb, 2023
I like several British and Scandinavian TV crime series. Recently, I started wondering if (their) crime fiction reflects reality? Based on my initial research, the answer seems clear: yes. Even in the Netherlands, there is a correlation: Baantjer (crime in Amsterdam), Penoza (drugs crime in Brabant). Statistics show that the "homicide rate in the UK was 1.2 per...
Russia’s deficit explodes (Axios)
12 Feb, 2023
Axios Markets title: Russia's deficit explodes By: Matt Phillips Date: 8 February 2023 "Russia's budget deficit widened sharply in January, as the latest sanctions on Russia's energy exports — and the mounting expense of its brutal war on Ukraine — may be starting to erode the Kremlin's heavily fortified finances, Matt writes. Why it matters: Since Russia's...
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